Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl Headline NHL 26 Top 10 Player Ratings

EA Sports revealed the 10 highest-rated players in the upcoming NHL 26 video game on Thursday, led by Edmonton Oilers superstar forward Connor McDavid.

McDavid leads the way at 97 overall, followed by Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, fellow Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov at 96. The full top-10 list is as follows:

1. Connor McDavid, F, Edmonton Oilers: 97
2. Nathan MacKinnon, F, Colorado Avalanche: 96
3. Leon Draisaitl, F, Edmonton Oilers: 96
4. Nikita Kucherov, F, Tampa Bay Lightning: 96
5. Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks: 95
6. Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche: 95
7. Aleksander Barkov, F, Florida Panthers: 95
8. Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins: 94
9. David Pastrňák, F, Boston Bruins: 94
10. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets: 94

McDavid is coming off his fifth consecutive 100-point season and the eighth such campaign of his 10-year career.

However, McDavid's 74 assists and 100 points were his fewest since the 2019-20 season, and his 26 goals were his fewest since his rookie year in 2015-16.

By his standards, McDavid finished a somewhat pedestrian sixth in the NHL in points and wasn't a Hart Trophy finalist, but he proved once again during the playoffs why he is still widely considered the best player in the game.

In 26 postseason contests, McDavid racked up a league-high 33 points for an Oilers team that reached the Stanley Cup Final and fell to the Florida Panthers for a second straight year.

Following McDavid in the ratings are three players who put up massive 2024-25 seasons in their own right.

MacKinnon was second in the NHL in points with 116, Draisaitl won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal scorer with 52 and finished third in points with 106, and Kucherov won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's top point getter with 121.

Behind them are the two most prolific offensive defensemen in the NHL. Makar led all defensemen with 92 points last season, and Hughes had 76 points in 68 games.

Barkov, the NHL's preeminent two-way forward, checks in next. Barkov won the third Selke Trophy of his career last season as the league's top defensive forward, plus he captained the Panthers to a second straight Stanley Cup win.

At 94 overall is Crosby, who is arguably the best player of his generation, recording 1,687 points in 1,352 games over 20 seasons. Even at the age of 37 last season, Crosby racked up 91 points, giving him his third straight season with 90 or more points.

Pastrňák is one of the true goal-scoring snipers in the NHL, as evidenced by his fourth straight season with 40 or more goals. In addition to scoring 43 goals last season, Pastrňák had 106 points, tying him with Draisaitl for third in the league.

Rounding out the top 10 is Hellebuyck, who is coming off one of the best seasons in recent memory by a goalie.

Guarding the crease for a Jets team that won the Presidents' Trophy with 116 points, Hellebuyck went 47-12-3 with a 2.00 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and eight shutouts.

Hellebuyck easily won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie, and he became the first goaltender since Carey Price in 2015 to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

NHL 26 is set for worldwide release on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on Sept. 12, but those who pre-order the Deluxe Edition can begin playing seven days early.