Updated

Updated · NHL.com · Jun 25

PhiladelphiaFlyers.com Projects Flyers to Take Maddox Dagenais at No. 21 in 2026 NHL Mock Draft

Updated

Updated · NHL.com · Jun 25

PhiladelphiaFlyers.com Projects Flyers to Take Maddox Dagenais at No. 21 in 2026 NHL Mock Draft

Q: Will the Sharks' desperate need for a defenseman cause them to reach for a player at number two?

Probably not, though the risk is real. San Jose’s need on the blue line is well established, and multiple reports say league executives believe that need could push the Sharks toward Chase Reid at No. 2. Reid is widely viewed as the best defenseman in the class and a potential top-pair, power-play quarterback, so taking him would not be an irrational pick. But in several public rankings, he sits below forwards Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, which is why some evaluators would frame it as a need-driven reach. The stronger evidence points the other way. Philadelphia’s mock has the Sharks taking Stenberg at No. 2 and then addressing defense later, while NHL.com’s mock also projects Stenberg to San Jose and a defenseman at No. 9. That matters because the Sharks own another top-10 pick, giving them flexibility to take the best player available early and still fill their defensive need shortly after. That aligns with Mike Grier’s broader draft pattern. He has shown a willingness to prioritize overall talent rather than force a positional pick, and the Sharks’ offensive support around Macklin Celebrini remains a real organizational need too. Stenberg is viewed by some scouts as close to McKenna in pure talent, making him difficult to pass on. So the Sharks could take Reid at No. 2 because of fit, but the more likely outcome is that they avoid a true reach, select the best forward available there, and use No. 9 to target a defenseman.

3 articles · Updated · NHL.com · Jun 25

June 26-27’s NHL draft got a full 32-pick mock from PhiladelphiaFlyers.com, with Toronto projected to take Gavin McKenna first overall and Philadelphia selecting Maddox Dagenais at No. 21.
Dagenais is projected as a power winger with scoring touch and a physical edge, a profile the mock says could fit the Flyers if his likely move from center to wing drops him into their range.
Philadelphia currently holds four picks, and the mock says the Flyers also weighed defensemen William Håkansson, Tommy Bleyl and Maksim Sokolovskii, with Sokolovskii framed as a trade-down option.
San Jose is projected to be especially active near the top, taking Ivar Stenberg at No. 2 and Daxon Rudolph at No. 9 with the Panthers pick it acquired via Ottawa.
The annual mock arrives as teams finalize boards for a draft class led by McKenna, whose hype cooled over a turbulent year but who remains the consensus No. 1 prospect.