EA SPORTS NHL 16: Colorado Avalanche Player Ratings Revealed

Dec 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson (6) during the game against the St. Louis Blues at Pepsi Center. The Avalanche won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

EA SPORTS NHL 16 Colorado Avalanche defensemen

Erik Johnson: 87 (NHL 15: 86)
Erik Johnson is the Colorado Avalanches No. 1 defenseman. Nobody, not even Tyson Barrie, can currently challenge him for that spot. In EA Sports NHL 16, Johnson gets one extra point, but he is not the only one.

Francois Beauchemin: 82 (NHL 15: 83)
Johnson’s new partner on the top pair, Francois Beauchemin does not have an outstanding rating. He is aging, and with it comes regression. Does he deserve to be dropping yet? I didn’t think so, but EA has a different opinion.

Tyson Barrie: 87 (NHL 15: 85)
At the beginning of last season, Barrie’s rating of 85 seemed too high. He did prove that he deserves it, though. But is he as good as EJ? Probably not quite yet.

Nikita Zadorov: 82 (NHL 15: 80)
Nikita Zadorov is an 82? Let’s hope so, especially if that makes him as good as Beauchemin. The rating seems a little bit high, but compared to the other D-men, Beauchemin’s rating just seems low.

Nick Holden: 82 (NHL 15: 81)
From my first EA Sports NHL 16 post: “I recently wrote an article about Holden being underrated, and how he could surprise many. But 81? Ha! That would even surprise me.” Holden is now an 82. Okay, EA.

Brad Stuart: 81 (NHL 15: 82)
Brad Stuart is worse than he used to be, EA got that one right. It seems harsh to drop someone 6 points, but that’s what they should have done. Stuart is not an 81 anymore.

Zach Redmond: 80 (NHL 15: 75)
Zach Redmond got a nice, big upgrade. He is a solid puck-moving D-man. I am not sure if he deserves a rating of 80, but considering that Stuart is an 81, he probably does.

Nate Guenin: 79 (NHL 15: 75)
I’ll make this short: ha. Ha. Ha.

Next: Left wings