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Break out the toe drags and double dekes; it’s officially Ratings Week for NHL 23. The team over at EA Vancouver has shared its picks for Fastest Wings, Most Powerful Shots, and the Best Under 23 Skaters, and today’s reveals are headlined by their definitive list of the Top 50 Player Ratings. Will it be McDavid or Matthews at the top? Is Cale Makar still the league’s best defenseman? And will Kirill Kaprizov break out of Minnesota’s bubble with another 100-point season? It’s finally time to discuss stick handles and flow, so here’s everything you need to know about the Top 50 players in NHL 23.
For more on NHL 23, check out the new Gameplay Trailer and Presentation Deep Dive.
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1. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) – 95 OVR
Is it really up for debate? McDavid’s greatness comes from being a model of consistency as the 25-year-old ended his 2020 run with new hardware (Hart, Pearson, Ross) and defied everything in 2021-22, leading the NHL in scoring for the second straight season with 123 points (44 goals, 79 assists). With the Edmonton Oilers falling short of their Stanley Cup bid, he also became the first player since Peter Forsberg (2002) to finish first in playoff scoring without making it to the Finals.
2. Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) – 94 OVR
Matthews hasn’t ditched the ‘stache and he hasn’t stopped scoring. In 2021-22, “Papi” recorded 106 points in just 73 games–winning the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, the Ted Lindsay Award for “Most Outstanding Player,” and the Maurice Richard Trophy after becoming the first player in a decade to score 60 goals or more in a season. He’s only 24, but Matthews is one of the most respected centers out there as he’s tucked away at least 34 goals in his first six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
3. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) – 94 OVR
MacKinnon has been an offensive force for the Avs as the former Halifax Moosehead led the NHL with 13 goals in the playoffs last year, guiding Colorado to their first Stanley Cup win since 2001. He hasn’t played more than 69 games in a season since 2018, but his output is still considered elite as he bested his 2020 Hart campaign with a final line of 88 points (32 goals, 56 assists) in 65 games.
4. Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) – 94 OVR
“Cale Salad” is a numbers guy. The 23-year-old won his first Norris Trophy this past season after scoring 86 points (28 goals, 58 assists) in 77 games and getting another 29 points in the playoffs–the fourth-highest total by a defenseman in a postseason and the most since Brian Leetch (34) in 1993-94. Makar also became the first player in NHL history to win the Norris Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Stanley Cup, and the NCAA’s Hobey Baker Award. Reminder: He’s only 23.
5. Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 94 OVR
Andrei Vasilevskiy is still a nearly impenetrable wall. The 28-year-old netminder has led the NHL in wins for five straight seasons (2017-2021) and with three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances with the Lightning, he has a record of 63-38-0 in 104 games with a 2.30 GAA and a .923 save percentage in the playoffs.
6. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) – 93 OVR
Don’t sleep on Draisaitl. The 26-year-old center mirrored (and bested) his 2020 Hart Trophy run with 110 points (55 goals, 55 assists) in 80 games while also leading the NHL in game-winners (11) and average ice-time among forwards (22:21). He’s still a wizard in face-off circles and as Oilers fans will tell you, he currently ranks second in the NHL in total goals (179) and total points (409) since 2018.
7. Roman Josi (Nashville Predators) – 93 OVR
Is Roman Josi still considered an elite defenseman? In 2021-22, the Predators captain recorded a career-high 96 points (23 goals, 73 assists) while leading the entire league in power-play goals (11) and becoming the first blue-liner to hit the 90-plus mark in a season since Ray Bourque did it in 1993-94. He’s 32 now, but also set up for success with new teammates like Nino Niederreiter.
8. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) – 93 OVR
“Sid The Kid” was one of the Penguins top point-getters last season with 31 goals and 53 assists in 69 games, and even with his age and injury woes, he led Pittsburgh in power-play points (30), game-winning goals (8), and face-off wins (760). Crosby also became the second Penguin to record 500 career goals and just the sixth player in league history to record 200 career points in the playoffs.
9. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) – 93 OVR
Patrick Kane has been burying pucks for more than 15 seasons now. “Showtime” led the Blackhawks in tallies for the seventh straight year with 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) in 2021-22, despite injuries and endless trade rumors. Kane’s still a three-time Stanley Cup winner (2010, 2013, 2015) and while he does lead the NHL in total assists (750) since entering the league in 2007-2008, he’s also third in points (1,180) and 70 goals away from being one of 47 players to reach the 500 career mark.
10. Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning) – 93 OVR
The 6’6, 241-pound Swedish brick house posted 85 points (20 goals, 65 assists) in 82 games en route to being named a Norris Trophy finalist for the sixth straight season. Hedman hasn’t won the award since 2018, but he’s still a two-way force who finished third in the NHL in power-play points (38).
The Top 11-50 Players in NHL 23
The rest of the Top 50 Player Ratings don’t include new alumni P.K. Subban, Keith Yandle, and Zdeno Chara, but they do feature skaters Artemi Panarin (92), Johnny Gaudreau (90), Mitch Marner (90), Steven Stamkos (90), Jack Eichel (89), Evgeni Malkin (89), and Thatcher Demko (89).
