Connor McDavid & $100,800,000 superstar headline NHL 26 player ratings; Sidney Crosby shockingly falls out of top 5

The NHL 26 video game player ratings are out now. The game will be released on September 12, almost a month before the NHL 2025-26 season commences on October 7. Connor McDavid is the top player with a 97 rating, a number same as his No. 97 jersey. Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl follow with 96 ratings. Nikita Kucherov (26) and Quinn Hughes (95) also ranked in the top five.

• 1. Connor McDavid – C – Edmonton Oilers – 97
• 2. Nathan MacKinnon – C – Colorado Avalanche – 96
• 3. Leon Draisaitl – C – Edmonton Oilers – 96
• 4. Nikita Kucherov – RW – Tampa Bay Lightning – 96
• 5. Quinn Hughes – LD – Vancouver Canucks – 95
• 6. Cale Makar – RD – Colorado Avalanche – 95
• 7. Aleksander Barkov – C – Florida Panthers – 95
• 8. Sidney Crosby – C – Pittsburgh Penguins – 94

Whereas Sidney Crosby, who has been dominating the league for the last 20 seasons with a great point-per-game pace, was ranked eighth in NHL 26 ranking with a 94 rating. This is surprising considering he scored 91 points last season, with a struggling Pittsburgh Penguins lineup.

The 2024-25 NHL season helps explain the NHL 26 rankings. Connor McDavid scored 26 goals and 74 assists despite missing 15 games, and most importantly, it was his 8th such season in the League. MacKinnon had 32 goals, 84 assists and 116 points. Draisaitl led with 52 goals, the highest for the Oilers and added 54 assists. Crosby finished with 33 goals, 58 assists, and a -20 rating.

Looking closer at their NHL stats shows why Crosby slipped to 8th position. McDavid reached 100 points with a +20 rating. MacKinnon, who is signed on an eight-year, $100,800,000 deal, had the highest point total and a +25. Draisaitl scored the most goals with a +32 rating. Crosby still produced, but his negative (-20) rating stood out, which was primarily due to the Penguins' struggle.

NHL 26 ranking of players starting from 9 to 20

Interestingly, three Florida Panthers players were listed by NHL 26 in their Top 20. They have won two straight Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025 and made it to three straight Stanley Cup finals.

• 9. David Pastrnak – RW – Boston Bruins – 94
• 10. Connor Hellebuyck – G – Winnipeg Jets – 94
• 11. Jack Eichel – C – Vegas Golden Knights – 94
• 12. Auston Matthews – C – Toronto Maple Leafs – 94
• 13. Kirill Kaprizov – LW – Minnesota Wild – 94
• 14. Mikko Rantanen – RW – Dallas Stars – 93
• 15. Matthew Tkachuk – LW – Florida Panthers – 93
• 16. Sam Reinhart – RW – Florida Panthers – 93
• 17. Andrei Vasilevskiy – G – Tampa Bay Lightning – 93
• 18. Jack Hughes – C – New Jersey Devils – 93
• 19. Zach Werenski – LD – Columbus Blue Jackets – 92
• 20. Roman Josi – LD – Nashville Predators – 92

The Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, and Tampa Bay Lightning each have two players in this list.