Colorado Avalanche Top Player Rankings in NHL 23

It’s “CHEL” season baby, and four players for the Colorado Avalanche have made it among the Top 50 highest-rated players in the popular EA Sports NHL 23. Let’s take a look at which players made the list and break down some of the ratings EA placed on their skills.

Nathan MacKinnon
Top 50 Ranking: #3
Overall Rating: 94

Naturally, Nate had to crack the Top 5 for EA Sports NHL 23. It could be argued that coming off a Stanley Cup-winning season where he was a force to be reckoned even after missing time with COVID and injury and also becoming the highest-paid player in hockey, he should still be the highest-rated player in the game.

That honor went to Connor McDavid with an overall rating of 95 however and was followed by Auston Matthews at #2 with a rating of 94.

Overall though, I think EA did Nate justice. His top skills land are offensive awareness (duh) at 96, puck control at 95, and wrist shot accuracy at 94. These are all things we expect out of MacKinnon, and we’ve seen him perform at a high level for nearly 10 seasons in the league. Nate’s lowest rating is his fighting skill at a 70. We’ve all seen Nate scrap a time or two, but it’s not something I’d prefer the star player to be involved with so this rating is fair.

Cale Makar
Top 50 Ranking: #4
Overall Rating 94

Again, this seems like a no-brainer. I made the argument that Nathan MacKinnon could have been ranked #1 after the season he had, but it goes double for Cale Makar.

I mean, the guy did win the Norris, Conn Smythe, and a Stanley Cup all in one season, and there’s certainly no better defender in real life, let alone a video game. Makar’s top skills are his puck control and deking, which are both at a 97, followed by his offensive awareness at a 96. Honorable mentions go to passing (96) and defensive awareness at 95.

To most it might seem odd that a defensive juggernaut like Cale Makar would rank lower in defensive awareness but when you watch how often he sets up an offensive play, or scores himself, this rating in EA Sports NHL 23 makes a ton of sense. Makar’s lowest skill is his faceoff ability which comes in at a rating of 60. If Makar is taking faceoffs then your team is in a bad spot, or you’re playing a video game.

Mikko Rantanen
Top 50 Ranking:  #18
Overall Rating: 91

91 for the Big Moose isn’t bad. I have more of a problem that he fell all of the ways down to 18 and is not in the Top 15. Yes, I’m upset about a fictional video game ranking and you’ll see me say it again on the next player, but I digress.

Mikko’s a playmaker and a scary shot when perched in front of the net. For those reasons, it makes sense that his highest skill ratings are offensive awareness at 95, then passing, puck control, and wrist shot accuracy all coming in at 93. Like Cale Makar, Mikko’s worst rating is his faceoff ability coming in at a whopping 65. Let’s just keep the Big Moose off the dot, ok?

Last, but not least, and certainly way lower than he should be…