Individual player ratings are one of the most exciting parts leading up to an annual release of sports games, and passionate gamers usually don’t hesitate to debate who the best players are every year. NHL 23 ratings may not be quite there yet, so there’s still plenty of time to debate which players should be rated highest in the annual sports competition.
In hockey, center position is a premier position on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ice, and teams with highly skilled centers are routinely favored to compete for the Stanley Cup. This applies in the NHL video game series, and players using teams with elite centers can expect to find it easier to navigate the rigorous schedule in NHL 23franchise mode.
The likely top centers of NHL 23
The list of best centers in NHL 23 should be slightly different from the top centers in NHL 22, as some young players had breakthrough seasons and some former elite veterans struggled with injuries or decline in 2021-22. For example, Patrice Bergeron was the fifth highest-rated center in NHL 22and while he is still a good player, it is unlikely that Bergeron will be in the top five centers when NHL 23 appears in October.
It is important to remember that some traits are much more important than others and not every player with the same rating is the same, especially when playing online. Traits such as speed, power and wrist accuracy, acceleration, passing and coverage mean far more than others when it comes to success in online head-to-head competitions. Those key ratings and skills were the toughest when predicting the players who will be rated highest in NHL 23.
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, 90 overall
Steven Stamkos has been an elite NHL player for a decade or more and he remains one of the top midfield goalscorers of a team that has made it to the Stanley Cup finals two years in a row. Stamkos is a playmaker player type in NHL 23 but has a great shot and will take advantage of scoring opportunities at a brisk pace. He is a legit franchise center for any team.
Stamkos’ skating is above average, and he’s certainly not an overly physical player, but his puck skills and shooting attributes would put him in the elite centers. NHL 23. Players will have to take advantage of his high puck control and hockey feel as the Lightning is not a team that has a lot of speed and instead relies on puck possession and elite goaltending to win.
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers, 93 overall
Draisaitl had a legendary year of pace before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2019-20 regular season early, but hasn’t really slowed down since then. Part of a deadly offensive strike in Edmonton, Draisaitl combines puck skills and shooting attributes that should both be in the 93-95 range with above average skating to establish a position as one of the most dominant centers in the world. NHL 23.
As good as Draisaitl is, the oilers generally have a lot of solid players. This provides many matchup benefits to gamers using the Oilers in head-to-head online play as Draisaitl usually matches the second line of other teams, giving him a significant advantage and helping players using the Oilers to get a ahead of their opponents.
Austin Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs, 93 in all
Canadian hockey fans either love or despise the Toronto Maple Leafs, and those feelings probably transfer to the Leafs’ best player, Auston Matthews. While he never managed to top the Maple Leafs in a first-round playoff series, he is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and talented players in the entire NHL and could take over a game at any time. . Like Draisaitl, Matthews’ lack of physicality and defensive ratings keep him from even exceeding the predicted 93 overall.
Matthews was a sniper class in NHL 22 with a Shock and Awe zone ability meaning he can take over offensively in an instant with dominant play, and he should be mostly the same in NHL 23. Along with the other players on this list, Matthews is not only one of the most dominant players in the Head-to-Head mode in NHL 23but one of the most coveted players in NHL 23 Ultimate Team.
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche, 94 overall
Winning the Stanley Cup is every NHL player’s dream, and MacKinnon was not only the leader and best player among the cup winners last year, but his team will enter 2022-23 as the definitive favorites to win it all again. A blend of speed, grit and scoring ability, MacKinnon has been a dominant player in the NHL for the past few years, but has really taken his game to the next level lately, making the Avalanche one of the NHL’s elite teams. .
Colorado becomes an easy choice to use in NHL 23‘s Head-to-Head competitions throughout the season because they are a team of top talent and speed. At times they seemed so vastly superior to opponents that it was hard to believe they were in the same league. MacKinnon embodies that skill and dominance, and should be in the 93-94 range. NHL 23 launching this year, especially for players who prefer a team and player that brings a lot of speed and attacking talent along with some guts and glee.
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, 95 overall
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Any dedicated hockey fan will know who Connor McDavid is, but for the newcomers he is by far the most complete and skilled player in the NHL and should benefit greatly from the new last chance animations in NHL 23. McDavid will probably never be accused of being an overly physical player and that will be reflected in his attributes, but his elite speed and total dominance with the puck, both as a playmaker and a shooter, will once again make McDavid the highest-rated center and likely player, in NHL 23.
unlike Madden NFL 23, the NHL series typically doesn’t award 99 overall ratings at launch. More similar to the MLB The Show series, 95 Overall is the default highest rating early in the game cycle, which is where Connor McDavid will most likely be when NHL 23 will start in October.
NHL 23 is scheduled to release on October 14, 2022 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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