One of the most interesting debates within the EA Sports NHL world is that of player ratings. NHL 18 dropped earlier this month which means it’s time to take a look at the numerical values EA Sports gave certain players. For Boston Bruins fans, this is often a fun way to rank the abundance of up and coming prospects in the system. We’ll see just how accurate EA is.

The Boston Bruins in NHL 18 (EA Sports / NHL 18)

Note that the following roster review is based on the most recent roster update released on Sept. 15th. For reference, note that Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby both maintain the highest rating in the game of 93 overall.

Forwards

When it comes to the ratings of Boston’s forwards in NHL 18, EA nailed some and butchered others.

Centers

Patrice Bergeron’s rating of 89 overall is very fair. He is only four points behind Crosby and McDavid which seems fitting. With that kind of ranking, Bergeron makes for a very solid first line center.

David Krejci’s rating of 84 overall is a tad low. He should be ranked at least 85 overall or higher seeing as he is a very skilled forward who is on the high-end when it comes to second-line centers. At84 overall, he is an average second line center in NHL 18.

David Krejci deserves a higher rating in NHL 18.(Michael Tureski/Icon SMI)

EA hit the nail on the head giving Ryan Spooner the rating of 81 overall. The 25-year-old is in a make-or-break season when it comes to his future with the Bruins. An 81 overall makes him an average third line center. His potential as a “Top 6 Forward” should be lowered to that of a “Top 9 Forward”.

ill take the 81 #nhl18ratings @EASPORTSNHL @TheClapperton pic.twitter.com/0PfLklLZur

— Ryan Spooner (@RSpooner2376) August 31, 2017

David Backes deserves a better rating than the 81 overall he received. To say that Backes is no better than Spooner is somewhat ignorant. I would rate him as an 82 overall, so that he is on the fence between the second and third line, as that is where he finds himself entering the 2017-18 season.

Riley Nash also deserves a jump from his rating of 78 overall. I would go as far as to give Boston’s fourth-line center a rating of 80 overall. Though most fourth liners are around 78 or 79 overall, Nash is a step above your average grunt.

Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari should have similar ratings, though EA has them six ratings apart. I think that 74 overall would be a good rating for Acciari while Schaller is more deserving of a rating of 76 overall.

Wingers

Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak each received a rating of 87 overall. This seems very fair when you consider their difference in potential. Marchand’s potential is set at “Top 6 Forward (High)” meaning that he is likely to hover around 87 until his mid-30s. Pastrnak, on the other hand, has a potential of “Elite (Medium)” which means that he stands a fair chance of becoming one of the best wingers in the NHL.

Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak received the same rating in NHL 18. (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

Matt Beleskey’s rating of 79 overall is fair as well. I believe his potential, however, should be set to “Bottom 6 F (High)” which would make him a third and fourth liner with the potential to make an NHL team’s second line. His designated “Top 9 F (Medium)” gives him a better shot of growing into a second liner at the age of 29 which seems unrealistic.

Frank Vatrano could use a slight hike from his rating of 77 overall. I would like to see No. 72 and No. 39 have the same rating, even if they have to meet in the middle at 78 overall. Either way, his designated potential is spot on.

Rookie & Providence Forwards

It’s important to mention that NCAA players are not included in the game, explaining the absence of guys like Anders Bjork. Hopefully, he will be added once he begins his NHL or AHL career this season.

Austin Czarnik earns the highest rating of his rookie counterparts at 74 overall. This is a fair rating that guarantees that he will be an 80 overall in a few seasons, that is if he gets an ample amount of playing time either on the top line in Providence or in a Top 9 capacity at the NHL level.

Kenny Agostino proved himself worthy of a rating higher than the 73 overall he received from EA. I would slate him around 75 overall to ensure he has a bid for a fourth line spot in the NHL. His “Bottom 6 F (Medium)” potential is fair, however. So is Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson’s rating of 72 overall and designated potential of “Top 9 F (Medium)”. He should be able to make Boston’s third line within a couple of seasons, so this rating is probably the most accurate out of any Bruins rookies in the game.

Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson received the fairest rating out of Boston’s rookies in NHL 18. (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk deserve to be rated at least as high as Forsbacka Karlsson. DeBrusk could even see a hike to 76 if he makes the team’s second line out of the gate. He has been playing alongside Krejci and Pastrnak this preseason.

I would like to see Zach Senyshyn and Jesse Gabrielle with ratings higher than Sean Kuraly, even if that means dropping Kuraly to 65 or even 64 overall. Anton Blidh is right at home with a 67 overall – grinders tend to get lower ratings, which also explains while Gabrielle is last on the list. He and Senyshyn should meet their respective potentials of “Top 6 F (Medium)” and “Bottom 6 F (Medium)” in real life and the game’s career modes.

Defensemen

EA Sports was conservative when rating Boston’s defensemen in NHL 18. We’ll break it down between shoe-ins for the team’s NHL roster and those who will likely see most of their ice-time in the AHL to start the season.

NHL Starters

Zdeno Chara’s rating of 85 overall is fair. The former Norris Trophy winner has seen a steady decrease in his rating over the course of the past several editions of EA Sports’s hockey simulation.

Torey Krug is deserving of as high a rating as Chara. 83 overall is far too low, though he should improve over the course of a player’s franchise at the age of 26. His ceiling, though, will likely be 84 overall which is still too low. Maybe adjusting his potential to “Top 4 D (High)” would get him to an 85 overall if he is given enough ice time.

A rating of 81 overall was given to 19-year-old Charlie McAvoy, ensuring that he will be among Boston’s top four defensemen. He should easily reach the upper 80s with a designated potential of “Elite (Medium)” and could reach 90 overall if given top pair duties.

Charlie McAvoy received a rating of 81 overall and could grow into one of the game’s best players. (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

Brandon Carlo deserves a rating of 83 overall rather than the 80 that he received from EA. He played on the Bruins’ top defensive line last season and is expected to do so again. Carlo should have a rating that will allow him to compete with the NHL’s best forwards. He is more proven than McAvoy at the NHL level, so why doesn’t he have a better rating?

Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller deserve the same rating, even if the former has to be bumped down to 79 overall. Their potential should be the same considering they are both proven bottom pair defensemen. Miller could even seem himself in a top-four role to start the year with Krug out for at least three weeks.

As a 7th defenseman, Paul Postma’s rating of 77 overall is accurate. His potential is set to “7th D (High)” which makes him bottom-tier when it comes to your bottom defensive pair. That is if you consider Miller to be an average bottom-six defenseman with a rating of 79 overall.

AHL Defensemen

Rob O’Gara leads the way with a rating of 72 overall which makes sense seeing as he is competing for a roster spot this preseason. Many will argue that Matt Grzelcyk deserves a similar rating as he is competing for the same spot and there doesn’t seem to be a clear winner at this time. Grzelcyk is also worthy of the same potential that O’Gara received, “Top 6 D (Med).” You could even argue that both players could receive a hike to 74 overall, especially if they make the NHL roster.

Tommy Cross received a fair rating of 72 overall as well as a designated potential of “AHL Top 2 D (High)”. Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon’s ratings of 67 and 64 overall respectively are both a little conservative. I hoped Zboril would push 70 overall while Lauzon might rest in the high 60s. Either way, both are accurate.

Goaltenders

For the most part, EA Sports rated Boston’s goaltenders very well. There is only one major flaw. Can you spot it?

Tuukka Rask received a rating of 88 overall. This is especially fair when you consider Carey Price’s rating of 92 overall, Sergei Bobrovsky’s rating of 89 overall, and the fact that Henrik Lundqvist received Rask’s same rating of 88. This ensures that Rask is a Top 10 goaltender in the game.

Anton Khudobin received a rating of 78 as a backup which is what his potential should say. The goaltender most deserving of the “Fringe Starter (Medium)” designation is Zane McIntyre who instead is expected to rise to the ranks of an AHL Starter. His overall of 69 is preposterous when you see Malcolm Subban’s rating of 76.

Why on earth is Subban a 76 overall? Just because his brother is a star in the league? He has been far worse than McIntyre at the AHL and NHL level. His potential of “Starter (Medium)” is also far too optimistic. If anything, McIntyre and Subban’s ratings and potentials should be switched. In a perfect world, give McIntyre 76 and Subban 70.

Malcolm Subban’s rating in NHL 18 is puzzling. (Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

Daniel Vladar’s rating of 67 is just fine so is his potential of “Backup (High)” which could see him slide into a starting role with enough time at the NHL level.

Conclusion

In the end, EA was dead on for some of Boston’s most notable players. When it came to the remainder of the team’s roster, however, NHL 18 sadly missed the mark. The team’s prospects stand no shot at making the NHL roster with their current ratings. Hopefully, once things sort themselves out this preseason, EA will more accurately rate Boston’s promising young forwards.

The most disappointing factor remains that Anders Bjork is not in the game. He will surely be added if he makes Boston’s lineup out of the gate.

What do you think of EA Sports’ rating of the Boston Bruins?