NHL 18: 10 DISGRACEFUL Player Ratings (And 10 We Love)
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Yikes. NHL 18 has a lot of embarrassing ratings — EA needs to step up!
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EA Sports’ process to distribute ratings to NHL players is mysterious, and despite the company’s efforts to explain their numbers, it remains mostly unclear. For all we know, the development team offers sacrifices of gold to an elderly wizard, in exchange for his vision of this year’s players ratings. And year after year, the results are dubious at best. A lot of importance seems to be given to a player’s reputation, no matter how much he has slowed down over the year, while younger players need to prove themselves over many seasons before their rating reflects their talent… unless your name is Connor McDavid, of course.
Still, every once in while, EA Sports’ ratings wizard gets it right. While it’s a lot more fun to talk about the discrepancies between the game’s evaluation of players and reality, we have to bring attention to those cases where a player’s virtual avatar reflects his actual play. This is why we have brought you ten completely disgraceful ratings (different from those of the previous edition!) in addition to ten ratings which, in our opinion, are absolutely perfect.
And if anything looks too wildly out of place, remember that EA Sports have a habit of correcting glaring oversights with mid-season roster updates. So things should start making a lot more sense soon enough.
20 Disgraceful: Corey Crawford (87)
Corey Crawford is a two-time Stanley Cup champion whose name is going to go down in history as part of a Chicago Blackhawks squad that was able to duplicate their success in an era of supposed parity. However, even in his years of immense success, Crawford was always marred by his reputation as a shaky goaltender who was carried forward by his teammates. His rating of 87 is unfortunately influenced because of the shine of his two Cups. In fact, you could say that his entire team’s ratings are inflated because of their reputation as a team full of hungry youngsters. However, the Hawks are slowly aging, and they are more and more dependent on their goaltender to perform at the level which is expected of him. Last year’s debacle against Nashville shows that Crawford might be a solid goaltender, but he isn’t at the top. A slight drop in rating might be necessary.
19 Love: Carey Price (92)
Deservedly rated as the best goaltender in the game, Carey Price is the only reason the Montreal Canadiens even made it to the playoffs last year. On a team which has struggled to add the necessary elements to boost its attack in the off season (Drouin being the sole impactful addition), Price is set to be one of the few bright spots on his roster again. As the franchise player on an anemic squad representing the most storied team in the NHL, Price has one of the toughest jobs in all of hockey, and yet, he manages to hold his own magnificently with every season. He is the heart of his team, and whenever he goes down to an injury, the Canadiens basically drop off the face of the Earth. Trust me when I say that Price is one of the busiest men in hockey, and that he deserves every accolade he gets.
18 Disgraceful: Taylor Hall (87)
Taylor Hall’s entry into the NHL was celebrated by Edmonton fans and fantasy leaguers everywhere. He has had an unspectacular, yet solid start to his career, but nothing that would justify the fanfare that accompanied his first few years. It is very telling that out of all of their prospects, Taylor Hall is the one guy that the Oilers did not mind letting go when they needed a defenseman. The man he was traded for, Adam Larsson, is a respectable if only slightly above average player. Similarly, Hall has been firmly entrenched as a middle-of-the-road type of player. He is talented, but he is not a franchise player by any mean. A rating of 85 would put him in the company of peers of similar skills.
17 Love: Brent Burns (90)
The lovable bearded defenseman has been emerging as the new face of the San Jose Sharks since Patrick Marleau left and Joe Thornton stepped aside to showcase younger players. As an offensively-minded defenseman, he brings a toughness that players such as PK Subban and Erik Karlsson lack, and yet he does not have a reputation as a cheap player despite his physical play. His rating of 90 puts him near the top of his profession, with only Drew Doughty and Karlsson above him. It is an enviable ranking, but I think that there is room for his rating to improve should he keep up his offensive stats. Don’t be surprised if you see the gigantic defenseman makes it to the top of his position by the time the next edition rolls around.
16 Disgraceful: Matt Murray (88)
Aren’t we jumping the gun a little bit when it comes to Matt Murray? The goaltender is 23 years old and does not even have one hundred games played in his career, and yet, he is already being put on the elite tier. Let’s not forget that in their last two Stanley Cup wins, the Penguins needed Marc-Andre Fleury to save Murray’s butt. Living in Fleury’s shadow might not have done him any favour, but it’s hard to think that his 88 rating is anything but a reflection of Pittsburgh as a team. As an individual player, Murray must still prove himself, and he needs to keep up an exceptional level of play this year in order to justify such a lofty rating.
15 Love: Jamie Benn (90)
The Dallas Stars are having a tough time maintaining their status as supposed playoffs contenders year after year. On a team which is struggling to keep up with its own expectations, Jamie Benn is one of the few constants, incessantly bringing experience, grittiness, physicality and an offensive flair which makes him a complete package. Tyler Seguin has also been making waves in Dallas, but so far, Benn has him beat on every front. His rating of 90 shows that he’s only a few steps behind the NHL marquee players, but quite frankly, there isn’t much holding him back from being a perennial Art Ross contender. He might never make it to that level which transcends the game such as Crosby, but you would be hard-pressed to find a more reliable player.
14 Disgraceful: Cory Schneider (89)
Have you seen the Devils play last year? They were a boring team that struggled to make it out of the basement. Sure, one cannot blame New Jersey’s entire season on Cory Schneider, but the fact remains that he still barely broke the .900 save percentage barrier. The truth is that Schneider came into the league with a lot of hype as the backup goalie for the Canucks, and then bid his time some more in New Jersey until finally being promoted, but never quite achieved the heights that would deserve a rating of 89. I mentioned Corey Crawford as deserving of a lower rating earlier, and to be frank, I would put him above Schneider. At least, he has won a pair of Stanley Cups, but what did Schneider do so far?
13 Love: Ryan Getzlaf (89)
Ryan Getzlaf has been the rock that’s anchoring the Anaheim Ducks for a while now. He is the glue that holds the team together, and he is a strong leader who keeps the Ducks near the top year after year. He might not be the best goal scorer, but his play-making abilities are second to none. That is why he is not only a feared presence in the NHL, but he was also such a big part of Team Canada in the last two Olympics. He is a star player entering the “veteran” part of his career, so while his best years are probably behind him, he is still a solid player who is more than deserving of his strong rating.
12 Disgraceful: Anze Kopitar (89)
Anze Kopitar is a fast and talented player, but his entire career has been a series of ups and downs. Sure, he has helped the Kings get to a Stanley Cup, but his performance last year was disappointing to say the least. His goal total was his lowest if we exclude the shortened season in 2012-2013, as was his point total. In a way, he reminds me a lot of the now-retired Alex Kovalev: A flamboyant skater who can deke his way past any player on his best day, but who lacks the consistency necessary to be remembered as an all-time great. Something like an 85 or an 86 would be closer to matching his real-life reliability.
11 Love: Kris Letang (88)
When the man is completely healthy, there are few defensemen who can claim to be better than Kris Letang. His neck surgery last year to repair a herniated disc took him out of the line-up for half of the season, but he is back with a vengeance, hoping to reclaim his spot as Pittsburgh’s top defense. Now if the Penguins managed to win a Stanley Cup last year without him, just imagine what they could do with a completely healthy Letang. A rating of 88 puts him slightly lower than the league’s top defensive player, but it is a safe rating for someone who has missed so much time. Do not be surprised if he gets a slight bump in a future roster update.
10 Disgraceful: Nicklas Backstrom (89)
This Washington Capitals forward is unfortunate enough to be living in the very long shadow of Alexander Ovechkin. His teammate, a brash and talented player in his own right, sits at a 92. And yet, it is Backstrom who, year after year, is the unsung hero of his team. He makes more plays, creates more opportunities, has more assists, and is much more responsible defensively. In any other team, Backstrom would be the franchise player. In Washington, he gets pushed to the side because he is not as vocal as his teammate. While I am sure that Backstrom is more than satisfied with the fame and money his career has brought him, in the virtual world, he would be deserving of at least two more points.
9 Love: Alex Pietrangelo (88)
I feel like the roster of the St. Louis Blues does not get enough recognition. The next two entries on this list are about to rectify this situation. Let’s start with a player whose rating is just perfect. Alex Pietrangelo is a man who does everything right and dominates his team’s blue line. He is a solid playmaker, who has been putting up above-average numbers for a defenseman for as long as he has been on the roster. More than that, he is an imposing physical presence, and while he might not be Chris Pronger, he’s the best St. Louis have had since then. I am just glad that he is finally being recognized as being near the top of his profession.
8 Disgraceful: Vladimir Tarasenko (90)
As the most spectacular player on the St. Louis Blues, Vladimir Tarasenko is a locomotive that has been driving his team for close to five years now. For the past three seasons, he has always scored close to 40 goals in a league which is notoriously becoming harder and harder on offensive-minded players. He is a complete player who will be as quick to come down the ice to help the defense as he is to skate past his opponents. If he spoke more, or stood out more, the NHL would be all over him to make him a superstar. As it is, he is content to be the best player on his team without getting too much attention off the ice. A 90 is a great score, but quite honestly, he deserves more.
7 Love: Devan Dubnyk (88)
The Minnesota Wild, while not the most spectacular team on the block, have been an intimidating presence in the Western Conference for five years now. Despite the lack of playoffs success, it’s looking like the Wild will still be a force to be reckoned with this season. The main reason for that will be their netminder, Devan Dubnyk. Minnesota’s current streak of success coincides with the arrival of Dubnyk in the line-up, as the man has been quietly becoming one of the best goaltenders in the entire league. While his colleague Ryan Suter might be slowing down on defense, Dubnyk has kept the same level of play, and until Mikael Granlund fully asserts himself as a star player, he will keep making the Wild a respectable team no matter what.
6 Disgraceful: Steven Stamkos (91)
Earlier, I made the case that Kris Letang was deserving of his 88 rating despite having missed most of the last season. His rating was safe for someone who has yet to prove that he hasn’t lost a step. Steven Stamkos is the opposite of that: he missed the vast majority of last year with a destroyed knee, but because we remember him as a bonafide superstar, he gets shot to the top. The problem is, we do not know how rusty he is after missing so much play time, and many players in the past have left a piece of themselves behind after knee problems. I say knock him down to the high 80s and see where it goes from there. If Stamkos picks up right where he left off, there’s always the next roster update to fix his rating.
5 Love: Blake Wheeler (87)
The Winnipeg Jets have slowly been building up their roster in the last few years. While the results are still not what they should be, they are well on their way to creating a very respectable team. Right now, it is Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele who are drawing all of the attention, but it would be wise not to sleep on Blake Wheeler. If you look closely at the man’s stats, you will see numbers that have been slowly and steadily creeping upwards every season. In Boston, he was lucky to make it past the 40-points mark, but his arrival in Winnipeg has been a complete reinvention for him, routinely getting him close or above 70 points per season. His 87 is a testimony to his progression as a player.
4 Disgraceful: Artemi Panarin (86)
Artemi Panarin has been making an impact since the day he entered the NHL. As a rookie in Chicago, he scored 30 goals and totaled 77 points. The next year, while most would be fearing a sophomore slump, he did it again, with 31 goals and 74 points. These are the kind of numbers that would get people of lesser talent a rating of 87 and over. Hell, we can even take a look at Max Pacioretty and Johnny Gaudreau, two guys who play at the same position and have worse stats than Panarin does. Despite it all, they manage to score an 87 instead of an 86. I know that Panarin has been traded to Columbus during the summer and that the team does not have a stellar reputation, but that is no reason for this kind of treatment.
3 Love: Brad Marchand (87)
I will admit that I used to despise Brad Marchand. The man used to be a pest, a player who would take cheap shots, dive, and generally take the easy way out. At the same time, the Bruins have been disappointing their fan base in the past few years, after a hot streak which landed them near the top of the league and lead them to a Stanley Cup near the start of the decade. A recent change of coach has given them a shot in the arm, but let’s not underestimate the contribution of Brad Marchand, who under new management, has slowly morphed into a respected offensive contributor. His career-high of 85 points last year is a good start, as is his rating. But if he keeps playing the same way, expect both numbers to go up soon.
2 Disgraceful: Joe Pavelski (88)
In a career which has now spanned a decade, Joe Pavelski has only really hit his stride four years ago, finally starting to rack up points in a way that matched his potential. Noticeably, four years ago is also when he started to be regularly paired with Joe Thornton. As Thornton started slowing down last year after many very productive years, so did Pavelski. With Marleau now gone and Thornton nearing the end of his own career, the Sharks will be entering a phase of reconstruction soon. As such, it’s hard to tell if Pavelski will be able to maintain the level of play that gave him an 88 in the first place. For what it’s worth, I think that it might have been slightly ambitious, as Pavelski has yet to prove that he can cut it on his own. Think of him as this generation’s Kevin Stevens.
1 Love: Jack Eichel (87)
It’s hard for anyone to get noticed when you play for the Buffalo Sabres. The once great franchise has been wallowing in mediocrity for a while now, but they lucked out when the drafted Jack Eichel in 2015. Despite playing on a team which has been struggling to stay out of last place for nearly half a decade, Eichel has managed to keep scoring regularly with his point total last year matching that of his rookie year despite playing twenty less games. A rating of 87 seems just right for Eichel, as it says “you might not be at the top level yet, but we see what you are doing.” If he keeps his stats in the same range, this might just be the year where he drags the Buffalo Sabres to respectability kicking and screaming.
Guy writes about video games on the internet. He enjoys gaming (obviously), hockey, poutine, and a bunch of other things he is less willing to talk about in public. He also collects retro games and Jean-Claude Van Damme memorabilia.
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