New Jersey Devils: How Is This Team Rated In NHL 20?
The New Jersey Devils have had some good players in EA Sports NHL over the years, but this could be the best Devils team in the game in years.
The New Jersey Devils are a much-improved team on paper. Everyone expects they are going to be decent on the ice this year after a very busy summer. How did that transfer over to the annual video game released by EA Sports? NHL 20 was pretty fair to the Devils based on the additions they made and the year that some guys had last year.
They were given three ratings to cover the three aspects of the team game. Their offense was given an 88 overall, the defense was given an 89 overall, and the goaltending was given an 81 overall. It appears that the developers like what the Devils have at forward and on defense but are wary of their goaltending. That is a common take among hockey people right now.
Their overalls are based on different skill sets and their performances in real life. They are all led by Taylor Hall, who has an 89 overall rating. P.K. Subban is in second with an 88 overall rating. These are fair based on how last season went, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if both of them earned a bump throughout the 2019-20 online rating upgrades. When Hall is on his game and healthy, he has been in the 90s in the past, and the same can be said about Subban. The rest of their ratings go as followed:
Forwards
Nico Hischier: 84
Kyle Palmieri: 84
Jack Hughes: 82
Wayne Simmonds: 82
Blake Coleman: 81
Jesper Bratt: 81
Miles Wood: 81
Travis Zajac: 80
Pavel Zacha: 79
Joey Anderson: 78
John Hayden: 77
Kevin Rooney: 69
Defense
Will Butcher: 84
Damon Severson: 84
Sami Vatanen: 83
Mirco Mueller: 79
Andy Greene: 78
Connor Carrick: 78
Goalies:
Cory Schneider: 82
There are some that show that the players are underrated in the eyes of the developers and those players are led by Nico Hischeir. He deserves a higher rating than an 84, but the points aren’t there yet as much as they are going to be in the future. Until then, everyone is going to sleep on him. Hughes being an 82 isn’t surprising because he hasn’t played an NHL game yet. Blackwood’s rating appears to be a little low because of his numbers, so it is up to him to keep it going so he can get a bump.
You might notice that Nikita Gusev isn’t listed on there and that is because he is a former member of the KHL. Until he plays a game in the NHL, he can’t be in the game. He will be added via the first online update. Other bubble players like Ty Smith, Jesper Boqvist, Nathan Bastian and others aren’t there either. As the Devils roster starts to take more clear shape these guys will start trickling in. Carrick and Rooney are the team’s scratches in the default settings.
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It is cool to play with guys like Subban, Hughes, and Simmonds in the game on the team we cheer for. It is the depth that the Devils have lacked for a long time. We may not agree with all of the ratings, but this is still the deepest Devils team in an NHL video game in a long time.