With NHL 19’s official release right around the corner, it seems appropriate to start looking through each team’s roster and seeing which teams appear to be the strongest and which appear to be the weakest in the newest installment of this legendary video game franchise.
Related: NHL 19 – A Refreshing Twist on the Classic Game
Now that the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions are complete, it’s time to take a look at the Western Conference, starting with the Central Division – a division, of course, that features NHL 19’s cover athlete P.K. Subban. All of the ratings included are from the Aug. 31 2018 update of the game.
Chicago Blackhawks:
- Patrick Kane – 91
- Corey Crawford – 88
- Jonathan Toews – 86
- Duncan Keith – 86
- Nick Schmaltz – 83
- Brandon Saad – 83
- Alex DeBrincat – 83
- Brent Seabrook – 82
- Artem Anisimov – 81
- Cam Ward – 81
The 2017-18 season didn’t go quite as planned for the Chicago Blackhawks. A team that has won three Stanley Cups since 2018, the Blackhawks were deeply disappointed with their results from 2015-16 and 2016-17 and with some changes to the team heading into 2017-18, things went from bad to worse.
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks, Nov. 9, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
The team missing the playoffs for the first time in years was something in itself but the results had a deep impact on their NHL 19 ratings as players like Saad and Toews some a pretty significant drop in their ratings relative to one year ago. If the team can bounce back in 2018-19, those ratings could climb once again. Only time will tell if the team did enough in the offseason to make those goals a reality.
Colorado Avalanche:
- Nathan MacKinnon – 90
- Mikko Rantanen – 86
- Semyon Varlamov – 86
- Tyson Barrie – 85
- Gabriel Landeskog – 85
- Erik Johnson – 83
- Philipp Grubauer – 83
- Ian Cole – 81
- Alex Kerfoot – 81
- Carl Soderberg – 81
No team shocked the NHL world in 2017-18 more than the Vegas Golden Knights. If any team came even close, however, it had to be the Colorado Avalanche. After the 2016-17 season saw one of the worst team-performances in NHL history from the Avalanche, the team bounced back in a big way in 2017-18 despite trading away Matt Duchene.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates with right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) and left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) after scoring a goal. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Making the playoffs and seeing breakout performances from players like Rantanen, Kerfoot and MacKinnon, the Avalanche appear to be in good shape heading into the 2018-19 season. Their NHL 19 ratings don’t necessarily reflect that but the additions of Grubauer and Cole should help the team in the long-run.
Dallas Stars:
- Jamie Benn – 90
- Tyler Seguin – 90
- Alex Radulov – 87
- John Klingberg – 87
- Ben Bishop – 85
- Esa Lindell – 82
- Anton Khudobin – 82
- Valeri Nichuskin – 81
- Marc Methot – 80
- Mattias Janmark – 80
The Dallas Stars just signed Tyler Seguin to a huge contract extension. Based on his NHL 19 rating, that deal makes perfect sense. The Stars may have fallen short of their mark in the last few seasons but the top-end of their roster is clearly one ready to compete. As the bottom of their top-10 might suggest, however, the team will need to work on their depth and defense to really take the next step.
Seguin found immediate chemistry with Stars’ forward Jamie Benn after joining the team. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Minnesota Wild:
- Devan Dubnyk – 89
- Ryan Suter – 88
- Mikael Granlund – 85
- Jason Zucker – 85
- Eric Staal – 85
- Matt Dumba – 85
- Jared Spurgeon – 84
- Mikko Koivu – 84
- Nino Niederreiter – 84
- Zach Parise – 83
The Minnesota Wild won 45 games in 2017-18 and recorded over 101 points. It isn’t surprising, then, to see the Wild have one of the best and most well-rounded top-10 at the start of the NHL 19 life cycle.
Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild, November 11, 2017. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
The Wild should continue to see success in 2018-19 and if they do, their already impressive set of ratings could realistically be on the rise as the season continues. They’ll have some competition, however, as the Central should be one of the strongest divisions in hockey this season.
Nashville Predators:
- Pekka Rinne – 88
- Roman Josi – 88
- P.K. Subban – 88
- Filip Forsberg – 86
- Kyle Turris – 85
- Ryan Johansen – 85
- Viktor Arvidsson – 84
- Ryan Ellis – 84
- Mattias Ekholm – 83
- Craig Smith – 82
The Nashville Predators are among the elite teams in the NHL and will enter the 2018-19 season as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. While their NHL 19 roster is impressive, it’s a testament to how well built their team is that the ratings seem a bit low relative to where they should be.
PK Subban – EA Sports NHL19
The Predators have fallen short of their ultimate goal over the last few seasons but they continually seem to be getting better with each passing season. 2018-19 could be their season. Even if it isn’t, however, expect these ratings to be on the rise again as NHL 19’s life cycle continues.
St. Louis Blues:
- Vladimir Tarasenko – 90
- Alex Pietrangelo – 89
- Jaden Schwartz – 87
- Ryan O’Reilly – 86
- Brayden Schenn – 86
- Colton Parayko – 85
- Jake Allen – 84
- David Perron – 84
- Alex Steen – 84
- Tyler Bozak – 82
After the Blues missed the playoffs in 2017-18, they made some major changes to their roster in an attempt to find their way back to contention. In an attempt to do so, the Blues traded for Ryan O’Reilly, signed David Perron and signed Tyler Bozak. All three of those players are part of the Blues’ top-10 rated players in NHL 19.
Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues, January 6, 2018 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
If these ratings are any indication, the Blues should be in better shape in 2018-19 than they were in 2017-18.
Winnipeg Jets:
- Mark Scheifele – 89
- Blake Wheeler – 89
- Patrik Laine – 89
- Dustin Byfuglien – 87
- Connor Hellebuyck – 87
- Nicolaj Ehlers – 85
- Jacob Trouba – 84
- Josh Morrissey – 83
- Tyler Myers – 83
- Kyle Connor – 83
The Winnipeg Jets are one of the NHL’s best teams and their NHL 19 ratings reflect that. With their lowest top-10 player ranked at a respectable 83 overall (and that 83 overall player is still only 21 years old), it bodes well for both the short and long-term futures of the franchise.
Mark Scheifele (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
The Jets are one of the NHL’s most electric and exciting teams to watch on a nightly basis. They should control similarly in their video game forms as well which should be a fun time all around for fans of the team and of the video game franchise.
