As the excitement for the NHL season approaches, it is also the time of year for gamers and hockey fans to be excited about the release of the new EA Sports NHL 25 game. As a frequent user of this game since my youth, I always associate the new NHL season with the release of the game and have the opportunity to use the new features and players. The player ratings are always a hot topic and the Carolina Hurricanes have some interesting player ratings.
Whether you play Xbox or Playstation, hockey fans can all have an opinion on some players that get a shaft from the ratings or an extreme amount of generosity to other players from the game creators. This year's game cover has the Hughes brothers, Jack, Luke, and Quinn. Of course, Jack and Luke play for the Metro Division rival New Jersey Devils, and Quinn plays for the Vancouver Canucks.
Besides the top players on the Canes, I was most interested in the ratings of the new acquisitions. Both new players on defense, Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere, have the same 84 rating. Although this is a fair rating, I believe that one of them could have been slightly higher than the other. Gostisbehere has the better offensive skill of the two, having a 90 passing rating. I was surprised that Walker has an 88 speed, while Gostisbehere has 86 in that category.
To go back to the top players on the team and their ratings, Sebastian Aho is the highest-rated Carolina player with a 91. Aho is the 30th-ranked player in the entire game. Despite a few lower-than-average seasons, Andrei Svechnikov has an 88 overall rating. On defense, old reliable, Jaccob Slavin has an impressive 89 rating and is ranked 44th in the game.
The younger, up-and-coming players got rated poorly in my opinion. Both Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis are rated 87. More particularly, I thought Jarvis had a breakout season and would be up around 88-90. Necas had a down year and hung on because of his 93 speed.
The most surprising rating on the Canes is goalie, Frederik Andersen, with an 88 overall rating. With another injury-riddled season, I figured Andersen would lose some of his overall ratings. Surely not a top goalie in the league, Andersen is far too close to 90 for me but it will benefit Caniacs playing the game if you choose to start him over Pyotr Kochetkov and his 86 rating.