Subban is an elite offensive defenseman who shoulders big minutes, puts up forward-level points and instantly gives credibility to New Jersey's blueline.Scheifele is a dynamic center who scores goals and sets them up, but the operative word with him is consistency.
The NHL has reached a tentative deal with its players union for the league to resume its interrupted 2019-20 season, with games starting August 1. He set a career high in goals with 41 and also chipped in 67 assists to total 108 points that season, which is the most from any player who was the cover athlete since 2000.Steven Stamkos did something that season that only one other player has done this millennium, and that other player happens to be the only one who may come close to Wayne Gretzky’s career goal number. Then Ovechkin went on to win his first Stanley Cup and followed it up with a 51-goal season. Giroux is still the engine that powers the Flyers to this day, but he couldn’t carry the Flyers into the playoffs in 2013.
While he was very “Captain Average” for the 2016 season as cover athlete, he had quite an impressive 2011 campaign his first time around as the face behind the game.His 76 points were only one point behind Brad Richards for top ten honors. He’s the Champ.Like us on Facebook to see similar stories,Threats directed at Kenosha shooting victim highlight frightening pattern,McDonald's customers are furious over the loss of All Day Breakfast, but workers and franchisees are pushing for it to disappear forever.Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.Ranking the top 20 EA Sports NHL cover athletes of the last 20 years.Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours.those two are the only defenseman to win the award post-WWII.
3. Considering he was in his 40s and was the the career leader in wins by a goalie, it’s no surprise that he was on the cover of NHL 14.His numbers weren’t bad, but also don’t catch your eye too much. He doesn’t make the list.Dany Heatly was drafted second overall by the Thrashers in the 2000 NHL Draft and was quickly becoming one of the elite players in the league.However, in September, 2003, Heatley was involved in a car crash with teammate Dan Snyder that unfortunately Snyder died in. But his incredible offensive output (226 points in his past 246 games) combined with an unmatched ability to generate shots -- with over 200 more than any other defenseman in the past three seasons -- make him a singular talent on the blueline.Tavares faced tremendous scrutiny in 2018-19. You know the one - the one were he was the only one in the building that saw it go in. There’s still no answer to where that puck is now a decade later, but there’s no question as to who graced the cover of this game the best in the last 20 years.Several players may have the eye-popping stats, but Kane still finished ninth in the NHL that season and was two points behind Daniel Briere who put up a massive 30 points that spring with Philadelphia. That skill set led Islanders coach Barry Trotz to once compare him to a young Mario Lemieux, which is high praise indeed. And then the ridiculous story of what happened to that puck after the game. Subban was coming off one of his finest seasons in the NHL in 2017-18 when he scored a career high 16 goals and fell one point shy of his career high of 60 points when EA announced that he would be the cover athlete for NHL 19.Subban is one of the more well-known players and with his large ego and following, he could have been one of the best cover athletes to date. Twenty years ago, Boucher was in goal for the Philadelphia Flyers when they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the longest playoff game in modern NHL history, a five-overtime thriller. But the game between the Lightning and Blue Jackets will, no doubt, in part because it’s the fourth-longest in NHL history and given the unique circumstances of it being played at a neutral site with no fans in attendance.Boucher had a front-row seat and wondered if four-plus months off prepared these players better to play in a game that lasted over 150 minutes.“I still felt like these guys looked pretty darn good,” Boucher said. He also put up six points in seven playoff games, which gives him the clear advantage over Bergeron one spot behind him with very similar numbers, despite Bergeron’s Selke Trophy.Not too many 36 year-old hockey players would ever be considered to be on the cover of a sports video game, but not every 36 year-old is Mario Lemieux.Mario had just made his triumphant return to the NHL in the 2000-01 season when he scored 35 goals and 41 assists in only 43 games as a 35 year old who hadn’t played in the NHL for four years. He's less accomplished on the defensive end, but his puck-moving game has been a vital part of the Capitals' success, especially on the power play, where he was second in points (33) last season.The Ducks' defense left Gibson high and dry often last season, and he was clearly overworked. He's physical and durable, missing one game in the past four seasons.Things haven't gone the Sabres' way the past few seasons, but they have a legitimate No. After a high-profile free agency, he opted to play for his hometown Leafs. He scored 54 goals in his first three years in the NHL and found himself on the cover of NHL 09 after setting a career high of 60 points in 2007-08.He then proceeded to score the fewest goals and points in his four seasons, but Phaneuf still put up very good numbers and averaged over 26 minutes per night. Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan break down Carey Price and Erik Karlsson as the most overrated and Sean Couturier and Torey Krug as the most underrated players in the NHL. Mario had just made his triumphant return to the NHL in the 2000-01 season when he scored 35 goals and 41 assists in only 43 games as a 35 year old who hadn’t played in the NHL for four years.