While we're twiddling our thumbs for the new Toronto Maple Leafs season to start -- or just have any semblance of professional hockey on our screens -- some might opt to buy the latest installment of the NHL franchise by EA Sports for their respective video game console. It gives us a little jolt of excitement to get something hockey-related back in our minds once again as we gear up for several more months of Leafs hockey.
EA Sports NHL 27 isn't out until September 11 but we're getting little inklings of what the game will include, and more importantly, how good or bad the game thinks the players are.
And, thankfully, we just got a first little batch of overall ratings for the Leafs roster in NHL 26 and it's, well, bold.
Our first official set Toronto Maple Leafs player ratings in #NHL27
— Nealer (@Nealerrr) August 18, 2026
William Nylander - 93 ovr
Auston Matthews- 92 ovr
Matthew Knies - 88 ovr
John Tavares - 88 ovr#LeafsForever
That's a little gutsy.
The standout is clearly that William Nylander is above captain Auston Matthews in these overall ratings. By just one mark, but it's certainly something to have Nylander be labeled as the "best" player on the entire roster.
Why would EA Sports put Nylander over Matthews?
We suppose it is difficult to still put Matthews at a certain level. He was rated 94 overall in NHL 26 and has previously hovered around the 89 and 93 range. But after going through a disappointing season, scoring 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games, his overall rating has dipped. On the other hand, Nylander put in another solid performance, scoring 30 goals and 79 points in 65 games -- which is still pretty darn good for a team as bad as the 2025-26 Leafs.
Since it's not a permanent label on them, and this rating won't live on for the rest of their careers, it's somewhat understandable to make this decision, especially when the margins are so small and it's not like Matthews is suddenly only 85 overall or something.
It shouldn't take much for Matthews to maybe take the "best player on the Leafs roster in an NHL game" title back. Maybe score 50 or so goals, 100 or so points, and the captain will get back on that throne.
Notably, EA Sports has also put Matthew Knies on the same level as John Tavares, at 88 overall and that's a real strong statement that the 23-year-old winger is seen as a peer rather than someone still working on his craft.
The Maple Leafs are heading into a somewhat new era. After a brutally unsuccessful season that led them to being the fifth-worst team in the entire NHL, had to fire both their general manager and their head coach and are starting with a whole new mindset. In this attempt for a quick turnaround, the Leafs are now looking forward to trying to make the playoffs and be competitive just months after getting to take Gavin McKenna first overall at the 2026 NHL Draft.
We really just need hockey to start.
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