The NHL Draft order (1-30) is officially set after the conclusion of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals.
Unfortunately for the Philadelphia Flyers, the Edmonton Oilers made it back to the Stanley Cup Final, so the first round pick the Flyers acquired during last year’s draft will end up being #31 or #32.
Not too much has changed since the last mock draft, no trades have been made and no leaks have happened, but the vibe around some players seems to have shifted. So what changed and who’s going where?
To get a better look at the teams in the top 10, what they need, and what the Flyers can do with their draft position and capital, Flyers Nation will be releasing a Top 10 Mock Draft three times before the 2025 Draft.
Here is Mock Draft 2.0
1) NYI: Matthew Schaefer (D)
Schaefer going first overall is the closest thing you’ll get to a lock at this point. He checks all the boxes for what the Islanders need right now. With a new front office in place after Lou Lamoriello left his position of President of Hockey Operations, getting cute and overthinking at the top of the draft doesn’t make sense. Take the best player available, and Schaefer is the best player available.
2) SJS: Michael Misa (C/LW)
Yes, Sharks GM Mike Grier has openly stated that they are taking calls on their pick this year, but since that original statement I’m getting more of the feeling that the top 10 will stay put as is. Why not build around Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Sam Dickinson with a forward who can easily slide into Celebrini’s left wing and create an incredibly dynamic duo for a generation. Having Will Smith as your 2C of the future is never a bad thing! The Sharks could even end up flipping Smith and Misa where Misa is the 2C and Smith is back on Celebrini’s wing as he was for a good amount of this past year. The Sharks could create a great deep forward group here.
3) CHI: Caleb Densnoyers (C)
“The Blackhawks already drafted their franchise center,” you’re screaming right now. “Why would they draft another one when Bedard needs an elite winger to run with like Martone,” you’re asking me right now.
Well here’s the thing, as much as I love Bedard and the player that he is… he’s a winger. I know he was drafted as a center and plays center for the Blackhawks, but his skillset on the wing of a player like Desnoyers would push his game to another level. Desnoyers is the guy you hear scouts talk about when you hear “200-foot-game.” His offensive ability has gotten better too to the point that he can definitely run with Bedard and take some of the load off his back. Desnoyers stock has risen so much this year, and I think the Blackhawks buy into his rise here at 3.
4) UTA: Anton Frondell (C)
Much like Bedard, I think Frondell projects better as a wing in the NHL than as a center. So why Frondell over Hagens here at 4? Well in my previous mock draft, I mentioned how Hagens doesn’t really fit their team to me, they already have a couple top line, younger, smaller sized, puck moving forwards in Keller, and Logan Cooley, so adding Hagens would feel redundant. Plus I think putting Frondell opposite Keller and next to Cooley could become a dynamic line in the NHL for a decade.
5) NSH: James Hagens (C)
Hagens to Nashville feels (to me) like as big of a lock as Schaefer to the Islanders is at this point. Nashville fans have been watching a team being filled with older, bigger, slower, two-way forwards with scoring ability but no set up help. They will have a breath of fresh air now that they have Hagens. Plus Nashville might be in a position where waiting for Hagens won’t be the end of the world. Jonathan Marchessault is already open to being moved after only one year in Nashville, and if Trotz can get that contract off the books, they’ll have cap space to tinker the roster which will result in them not really NEEDING Hagens right away. He’ll be worth the wait as the first player in the new era of Nashville.
6) PHI: Porter Martone (RW)
The draft lottery happening the way it did resulting in the Flyers end up falling to six really hurts. If you were to think of the worst case scenario this year for the Flyers, this would be it: the top four centers all being gone before the Flyers pick.
BUT… Porter Martone is awesome. He is big, he is strong, he has great puck skills, and he can score on his own or be a set-up man. He’s not the best skater, but Matvei Michkov isn’t necessarily a speedster himself. the Flyers already have a lot of great skaters in Owen Tippett and Ryan Poehling, some skill would be needed more than speed at this point. Plus with all the reports swirling around the Flyers and Marco Rossi, the Flyers might go wing here and trade for their center with some of their other six picks in the first two rounds. Having a future first line started with Martone and Michkov is a great start. Get that center and we’ll see how it goes.
7) BOS: Roger McQueen (C)
Bruins fans will be jumping for joy when they see a center taken here at seven. Unfortunately for Bruins fans he is the biggest question mark in the entire first round as a prospect.
Ok yes, McQueen is coming off a major injury this season, BUT it’s being reported that his back injury was misdiagnosed and he’s claimed that he’s at 100% now and ready to go. McQueen being 6’5” with back problems already is not great, but the Bruins are probably desperate for center help. On top of that if this new diagnosis about his back is true… he might not even make it to seven.
The Bruins have needed center help since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí both retired, and they could get it here with McQueen.
8) SEA: Jake O’Brien (C)
From the last mock draft to this mock draft, nothing has changed for Seattle. They’re in a spot where I don’t know exactly what they’re doing. Al it feels like is that they are a new franchise trying to figure out the right way to build their team. They already have two solid center prospects in Matty Beniers and Shane Wright and they traded for Kappo Kakko and Michael Eyssimont, but their goaltending is a mess and they still have a lot of bigger contracts on the blue line of the team.
This just seems to be a spot where you take the best player available and let them develop and see where your team is and what holes you have in two years.
9) BUF: Victor Eklund (LW)
Buffalo is in a rough spot. They’re stuck in hockey purgatory with seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel. There are already rumors swirling around that multiple Buffalo players are unhappy and looking to get out. Names out there include Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka. Buffalo needs another forward if those two guys get moved and Eklund is still on the board, they’ll sprint to the podium to draft him to pair him with Tage Thompson.
Eklund might honestly be the best wing in the draft, even including Martone. He only falls this low because all the teams above them went after centers. Buffalo would be happy to draft Eklund here at nine.
10) ANA: Jackson Smith (D)
Like the Kraken, not much has happened here with the Ducks. Their blue line is still thin after trading Jamie Drysdale two seasons ago and Cam Fowler this past season. They do have Jackson LaCombe and Owen Zellweger, but that’s about it for them for their future. They have Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba, but they’re both over the hill in their respective careers.
The Ducks need a defenseman, and I think Jackson Smith is the guy they go with here. Higher floor than most but lower ceiling too. They already have the high ceiling guys, Smith will perfectly slot in to their future plans.
Watch the first round of the NHL Draft on June 27th at 7 pm EST on ESPN
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