NHL.com kindly shared the top 50 player ratings for EA Sports’ upcoming NHL 14 title on Friday, so that naturally opens the door for outrage and excitement.
Obviously, the first few guys represent familiar faces, with Sidney Crosby and Pavel Datsyuk tied for the highest (active) player ratings at 95 each. Here’s a screenshot of each players ratings, so you can dispute someone’s speed or hand-eye coordination in the comments:
In a move that shouldn’t upset many, Zdeno Chara was pegged as the top-rated defenseman at 94.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Quick and Henrik Lundqvist tied for the No. 1 goalie at 91.
It’s pretty tough to quibble with those choices. Still, there are a few surprises and worthy notes, such as:
- To the chagrin of the Nashville Predators, Ryan Suter carries the same 92-rating as Shea Weber.
- Marian Gaborik’s 90 trumps many players who had better 2013 seasons, including John Tavares and Patrice Bergeron (both are 89’s). Of course, you can turn off groin injuries in video games.
- Brent Seabrook’s 89 bests Patrick Kane’s 88. Call it the power of Seven.
- The 88 rating presents some surprises. The last two Norris Trophy winners (P.K. Subban and Erik Karlsson) carry that rating while Jamie Benn, Jakub Voracek and Dustin Byfuglien also fall in that range. All are strong players, but those marks could cause some debate.
Anyway, more fun can be found at NHL.com, and we’ll keep an eye out for some divisive ratings when the game hits North America on Sept. 10 (and worldwide on Sept. 13).