EA SPORTS NHL 17: Vancouver Canucks Player Ratings Revealed
Feb 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Vancouver Canucks celebrate the win over the against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. The Canucks defeated the Avalanche 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
EA SPORTS NHL 17 is now available on early access, revealing all player ratings to a select group of players.
A month ago, I shared my thoughts on the Vancouver Canucks‘ player ratings in EA SPORTS NHL 17. Finally, the actual ratings have been revealed. Let me tell you, I’m not quite happy with them — but it could be worse.
However, EA made some questionable decisions, to no one’s surprise. For example, Jake Virtanen is not part of the Canucks roster, as EA seemingly moved him to the AHL Utica Comets. That alone isn’t that odd or bad and could actually happen, but Brendan Gaunce, Alex Grenier, Alex Biega and Andrey Pedan are all part of the NHL team. The latter three are waiver-eligible, so it makes sense to keep them on the Canucks for now — but Gaunce over Virtanen?
Then — spoiler alert — the Sedin twins got a higher rating than they did in NHL 16. They played another solid season for sure, but was it better than the 2014-15 season, where they recorded 73 and 76 points, respectively?
The exact opposite happened to goaltender Ryan Miller. He sure doesn’t deserve an 87 anymore, but that was EA’s mistake last year. His stats actually improved compared to 2014-15, but he was dropped down by quite a bit.
Enough talking, let’s get to it.
Apr 9, 2016; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) reaches for the puck against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Goalies
Ryan Miller: 84 (My rating: 85)
So Miller dropped from 87 to 84 after improving stat-wise. Seems fair. He actually dropped just one point farther than I predicted, but I feel like that point really makes all the difference. An 85 is still a solid starter, an 84 probably isn’t. Especially looking at other goalie rankings over the years, this just doesn’t seem fair at all. Miller isn’t the player he used to be, but he was (unfortunately) still one of the Canucks’ best players last year.
Jacob Markstrom: 83 (My rating: 85)
Of course, nobody would really care about Miller anymore if Markstrom won the starting job. But in NHL 17, Markstrom is even worse. He started out as a 79 in NHL 16, so he improved quite a bit compared to that, but it probably still isn’t enough. Both Miller and Markstrom had their fair share of outstanding games and terrible struggles last season, so they probably deserve the same rating.
Thatcher Demko: ? (My rating: 70)
Unfortunately, Demko is not a part of the roster (obviously, because he won’t be on the Canucks). I just wanted to remind you all that he likely won’t even be in the game for a while, since EA doesn’t have the NCAA licenses and Demko isn’t officially on the Comets yet. Sorry.
Nov 2, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Ben Hutton (27) and goaltender Ryan Miller (30) defend against a shot by the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Defensemen
Chris Tanev: 87 (My rating: 86)
I made Tanev better than last year. EA makes him even better than my rating. I can’t even complain. Tanev is without a doubt one of the NHL’s top shutdown defensemen, and it is great to finally see some acknowledgement for that.
Alex Edler: 87 (My rating: 84)
Now this is where I disagree. One could argue that Edler is still better than 84 — I might have been a little harsh on this one. But is he as good as Tanev? Is he still the best defenseman on the team? I feel like an 85 would have been more accurate.
More from The Canuck Way
Erik Gudbranson: 86 (My rating: 83)
As you can see, EA rated the Canucks’ defense much higher than I did. Spoiler: the entire Canucks ‘D’ is better than I predicted. Part of the reason why this particular rating is so different is likely that EA values physicality very highly in defensemen. Gudbranson probably has five-star physicality, pushing him to 86 overall. But is he as good as Loui Eriksson?
Ben Hutton: 84 (My rating: 82)
With Hutton, I just thought EA would be a little more careful. He was the Canucks’ most consistent defenseman through 75 games and eventually played his way onto the top pairing with Tanev. But he wouldn’t be the first player to struggle in his sophomore year. Whatever happens, I’m happy with Hutton’s 84.
Luca Sbisa: 83 (My rating: 81)
I actually thought my 81 was still a nice rating, but EA got him higher as well. Sbisa sure is a solid defenseman, that’s what I’ve been preaching all summer long. But an 83 seems a tad too high.
Nikita Tryamkin: 80 (My rating: 78)
In my first post, I labelled Tryamkin “a 78 for now with potential to go as high as 82 by the end of the season.” I believe that would have been the proper way to go. Tryamkin has done nothing to prove he can be a full-time NHL player. He has all the tools, but struggled mightily in his first short NHL stint. Tryamkin still has a lot to prove.
Philip Larsen: 80 (My rating: 78)
The same goes for Larsen — except I don’t even know if he has all the tools. An 80 rating is enough to be a lock on the NHL roster, and I’m not sold on Larsen quite yet. He has to prove he can be what the Canucks want him to be before I’d rate him any higher than 78.
Alex Biega: 80 (My rating: 76)
Biega appeared in 51 games for the Canucks last season, but probably wouldn’t have had nearly as many, had the Canucks suffered fewer injuries. Biega is a solid defenseman but not necessarily full-time NHL material. He, too, has a lot left to prove. A 76 might be a little low, but I wouldn’t go higher than 78 for him either.
Andrey Pedan: 76 (My rating: -)
I didn’t include Pedan in my ratings because I fully expect him to start the 2015-16 season in Utica. But, had I rated him, he probably would have had a 75 — one fewer than Biega.
Mar 24, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Vancouver Canucks left winger Daniel Sedin (22) handles the puck at the blue line during the second period against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Left Wingers
Daniel Sedin: 88 (My rating: 87)
I touched on this in the introduction. Daniel fell from 76 points in 2014-15 to 61 in 2015-16. So why does EA give him an extra point? Daniel’s goal production went up from 20 to 28, so I guess that’s enough to justify it.
Sven Baertschi: 82 (My rating: 82)
I finally got one right. Now tell me, is Sbisa better than Baertschi? Well, EA thinks so.
Alex Burrows: 81 (My rating: 82)
Burrows actually dropped to 81. I really didn’t think that would happen and thought my 82 would still be lower than EA’s rating. Burrows’ days are numbered.
Emerson Etem: 80 (My rating: 81)
EA and I did agree on Etem getting one fewer point than than Burrows, but I had each of them one higher than they got in the game.
Brendan Gaunce: 78 (My rating: 75)
You probably get the theme now, I tended to rate AHL players lower than those who are locks for the Canucks. That said, Gaunce probably deserves to be a 78 based on his two-way game. His (non-existent) production in the NHL last season was the reason for me rating him as low as I did.
Apr 7, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat (53) and Calgary Flames defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka (3) battle for the puck during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Centers
Henrik Sedin: 88 (My rating: 87)
Daniel’s goal total went up by eight goals compared to the prior season, so I said his new rating could be justified. But Henrik’s goal total went down by seven, he had 11 fewer assists and therefore recorded 18 fewer points overall. He reportedly played most of the season injured, so kudos for that. But why would he get a higher rating than last year? I don’t want them to drop him, but rather keep him at 87 — I just don’t see how the 88 can be justified.
Brandon Sutter: 85 (My rating: 84)
We didn’t see much of Sutter last season and neither did EA’s scout (yes, they have exactly one scout to make the ratings for all the players). I decided to make him an 84, they decided to keep him at 85. Whichever works.
Bo Horvat: 84 (My rating: 84)
Now, is Horvat worse than Sutter? I guess that could be argued for now, especially when the difference is this small. Horvat will surpass Sutter sooner or later, perhaps during the 2016-17 campaign.
Markus Granlund: 80 (My rating: 80)
Yay, I got two straight correct. I believe an 80 is right for Granlund, but I don’t think he should have the same rating as Tryamkin. Through 105 NHL games, Granlund has proven he can play in the league — Tryamkin has not. So, Granlund’s rating is probably accurate, I just disagree with quite a few of the previous ratings.
Nov 25, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows (14) skates with the puck in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Right Wingers
Loui Eriksson: 86 (My rating: 86)
That makes it three in a row. As to the rating itself, we should probably enjoy Eriksson being an 86 as long as we still can. The 2015-16 season was his best in four years, and there are no guarantees that he, along with the Sedins, will start to decline very soon. But first, let’s enjoy a full season of the three together!
Jannik Hansen: 84 (My rating: 84)
Hansen comes in at 84 and the guy definitely deserves it. He’s been a bottom-six grinder for years, but played his way onto the top line to record a career-high 22 goals last season. He may have to move back down in the lineup again this year, but at least he will do so with an 84 rating in NHL 17. (Maybe he’ll play ‘Be a GM’ mode and keep himself on the top line for a while.)
Derek Dorsett: 80 (My rating: 80)
In my previous post I wrote: “Dorsett is overpaid but he is a strong fourth-line player and a valuable part of the team.” That’s true, for now. The only better option for his spot would be Virtanen, but we don’t want Virtanen to become Dorsett 2.0. So this is probably okay.
Alex Grenier: 76 (My rating: -)
I didn’t include Grenier in my list because I’m sure he’ll start the year in the AHL. But he probably would have gotten a 75.
You can find all remaining ratings for EA SPORTS NHL 17 above. Don’t forget to share your opinion on both EA’s ratings and my personal ones in the comments below.
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