There is no denying that the Florida Panthers boast one of the top lineups in the NHL. Not only does their fanbase get to see it nightly, but fans of the legendary EA Sports NHL franchise can play as the highly ranked Panthers or try to beat them on whatever difficulty setting they choose.
In the lead-up to the latest installment's release on September 11, the gaming company recently released its annual forward rankings, which have caused quite a stir on social media.
Which Florida Panthers skaters crack EA Sports Top 10 forward lists?
On Tuesday, EA Sports posted its top ratings for centers, left wings, and right wings, with three Florida players cracking the Top 10: Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and Matthew Tkachuk all placing 6th on their respective charts.
Based on the NHL Network’s recent assessment of the Panthers defensemen and goalies, the club may get shut out of the next batch of EA Sports Top 10 rankings, but rest assured, when the game comes out and everyone can see the team’s ratings, they will be one of the Top 10, if not the Top 5, teams in the game.
If fans wish to do a deep dive into the pre-release forward rankings, they can visit the EA Sports Ratings Hub, where they will find nine Panthers players ranked among the top 299 skaters within the game.
Here’s a quick look at which Panthers found themselves on the list.
- Aleksander Barkov - 11th (95 overall)
- Sam Reinhart - 32nd (91 overall)
- Matthew Tkachuk - 41st (90 overall)
- Brady Tkachuk - 66th (89 overall)
- Brad Marchand - 70th (89 overall)
- Sam Bennett - 138th (86 overall)
- Anton Lundell - 166th (86 overall)
- Carter Verhaeghe - 193rd (85 overall)
- Eetu Luostarinen - 299th (84 overall)
Which Florida Panthers forward's rating went up or down?
Compared to the Panthers’ ratings in NHL 26, a handful of forwards saw their numbers increase and decrease. Despite not playing an entire season, Barkov roared back to win a World Championship and stayed at 95.
However, injuries derailed Matthew Tkachuk’s campaign; although he won an Olympic Gold Medal, his stock went down from 93 to 90 this year. Meanwhile, Reinhart, who led Florida in scoring with 61 points, also saw his rating dip two points from 93 to 91.
Recently, Marchand announced that he had surgery and is slated to miss the start of the regular season. As one of the numerous Panthers to appear in fewer than 60 games, his rating stayed the same at 89. Two more of the team’s core players saw their ratings drop: Sam Bennett lost a point, going from 87 to 86, while Carter Verhaeghe dropped two points, from 87 to 85.
As we wait for the rest of the ratings, Panthers fans have taken to social media to defend their captain, who many believe is overrated. Depending on how the team bounces back this upcoming season and how well he performs, those fans could regret their posts, which could become bulletin-board material.
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