If you missed Part 1 of the mailbag, it can be found here.(Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity.)In the next 12 months, do any of the following find their way to Philly: Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Robert Thomas, Dylan Larkin or Quinn Hughes? How would you rank the likelihood (player by player)? — Dan M.In the short term, I would absolutely pay attention to what’s happening with Quinn Hughes, who still doesn’t have a contract extension in place in Minnesota and who might prefer to continue his career on the East Coast.Which next gen superstars jumped the highest in the NHL player tiers?Here’s what we know and have reported here before: Hughes had a great relationship with Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet in Vancouver and is good friends with Trevor Zegras. The Flyers were interested in Hughes last season before he was dealt to the Minnesota Wild but were informed the Vancouver Canucks had no interest in moving him here. When rumors were flying this summer about fellow star defenseman Zach Werenski, the Flyers checked in on him before Werenski repaired his relationship with the Columbus Blue Jackets. And, of course, the Flyers are clearly going big-game hunting after offer-sheeting Leo Carlsson. They are ready to try to add a star player while making that player one of the highest-paid in the league because of their salary-cap flexibility.If you’re the Flyers, any Hughes trade would naturally have to include a contract extension, considering they would have to part with some future assets, at minimum. If Hughes wants a three-year extension — which would make him an unrestricted free agent in 2030, the same year as his brother, Jack, in New Jersey, would become a free agent — I would guess that would be palatable for the club. It would give them some runway to become a true contender if you assume the young players on the roster continue to progress.As for those other guys … Thomas is not going to happen, as he was just named the captain of the St. Louis Blues. The Flyers checked in on Larkin after his trade request became public, but were told they weren’t on his list of acceptable destinations, and he might end up staying in Detroit now Steve Yzerman is gone anyway. Matthews and McDavid are interesting cases, but their futures likely depend on how the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers perform this season. Both of those teams are difficult to predict at the moment.Does David Jiricek nail down a third-pairing/second power-play slot? How much does not being waiver-eligible impact this? It seems like he’ll be given every opportunity to succeed, right? — Frank S.He’s going to have some competition, with Oliver Bonk, Ty Murchison and Hunter McDonald looking to make the team, too. In my chat with Tocchet earlier this week, he seemed to suggest that battle is wide open. I got the impression Murchison, in particular, left a really good impression on the coaching staff, which makes me wonder whether he has a leg up on the others. At the same time, Tocchet revealed he’s intrigued by Jiricek’s big shot on the power play, so we’ll see him get a chance there in training camp and preseason games, as you suggest.