AVALANCHE

The Avalanche have three of the top-11 rated players in “NHL 24”

Sep 28, 2023, 10:25 AM | Updated: Oct 10, 2023, 10:36 am

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is on the cover of “NHL 24” and also near the top of the popular video game’s ratings.

Those were revealed earlier this week, and Makar is second in the the entire league with a 95. Nathan MacKinnon is No. 4 in the NHL, also with a 95 overall and Mikko Rantanen is 11th with a 93 overall.

Only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid was able to top Makar, checking in with a 97. It’s unclear how exactly the tiebreakers were done, but you can clearly see on the full list from EA Sports where each guy slots in.

It’s an exciting time to be an Avalanche fan, because whenever you have Makar, MacKinnon and Rantanen, you’ve got a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Losing captain Gabriel Landeskog for the year obviously hurts, but the Avs reloaded their depth after a disappointing Round 1 exit a season ago. Forward Valeri Nichushkin has returned after mysteriously missing five playoff games against the Kraken, and MacKinnon is welcoming him back “with open arms.”

And while games are won on the ice and not in video games, Colorado is loaded. Only the Oilers have two guys in the top-11, with Leon Draisaitl joining McDavid. Every other team that’s represented only has one player, while the Avalanche have three.

To check out the full top-50 list, click here. NHL 24 is expected to be released on Oct. 6.

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