NHL 24 cover athlete: 5 players who were snubbed in favor of Cale Makar

EA Sports announced the NHL 24 cover athlete on Monday, ending months of speculation on who would be on the cover.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was named the cover athlete, which is well deserved. He's arguably the best defenseman in the NHL and one of the best players in the league.

However, there were some other worthy players to be on the cover, and here are five that were snubbed.

#5 - Matthew Tkachuk

Matthew Tkachuk is one of the best players in the NHL and a fan favorite.

Tkachuk also played a massive role in the Florida Panthers getting to the Stanley Cup Finals this past year. Tkachuk was dealt to the Panthers in a blockbuster trade and had immediate success.

The American forward recorded 109 points and finished sixth in points, and remains one of the best players in the world.

#4 - Jack Hughes

Jack Hughes is among the best young players in the NHL and resonates with the younger generation playing NHL 24.

Hughes recorded 99 points in 78 games with the New Jersey Devils and plays with a flashy style that will no doubt capture the attention of fans.

Also, NHL 24 could've taken this in another direction by having the cover being the Hughes brothers, which would feature Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks and Luke Hughes, who is teammates with his brother Jack in New Jersey.

#3 - Nikita Kucherov

Nikita Kucherov finished 3rd in points

Nikita Kucherov has been one of the best players in the NHL for years, and he still has yet to be on the cover and was passed over for NHL 24.

Last season, Kucherov finished third in the NHL in points with 113 and made some highlight-worthy plays that captured the attention of young fans.

The Russian was also a big reason for the Tampa Bay Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cups and being a dominant franchise.

#2 - Leon Draisaitl

Leon Draisaitl has somehow never been on the cover of EA Sports NHL, despite being one of the best players in the league.

The German finished second in points only behind his Edmonton Oilers teammate, Connor McDavid. Leon Draisaitl is a fan favorite and one of the best players in the league, and he likely was a front-runner to be on the cover before Cale Makar got it.

#1 - Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby is one of the best players of all time but has never been on the cover of EA Sports NHL.

There has been a long rumor that Crosby has turned down being the cover athlete as he is very low-key and doesn't like a lot of attention. However, Crosby deserves to be on the NHL 24 cover, and with his career nearly over, time is running out for the Pittsburgh Penguins star to be the cover star of the popular video game.