Bruins Fans Will Have Plenty To Debate In NHL 27 Ratings

Boston Bruins make a strong presence in EA Sports' NHL 27 ratings with ten players breaking into the top 300, showcasing their depth and star power.

EA Sports has rolled out its top 300 player ratings for NHL 27, and the Bruins landed 10 names on the list ahead of the game’s September 11 release.

Boston’s group is spread all over the rankings, but the headliner sits in a class of his own. David Pastrnak checks in at 95 overall, good for seventh in the game.

That puts him second among right wingers behind only Nikita Kucherov and fifth among forwards, trailing Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Kucherov, and Leon Draisaitl. Pastrnak is coming off his fourth straight 100-point season and a career-best 71 assists, and EA bumped him from No. 9 to No. 7 overall.

Jeremy Swayman is the next Bruin on the list, and he just missed the top 50. EA slotted him at 89 overall, making him the sixth-best goalie in NHL 27.

He’s coming off his first 30-win season, finishing 31-18-4 with a 2.71 GAA and .908 SV%. Swayman also ranked second in the league with 28.8 goals saved above expected and finished third in Vezina Trophy voting.

Charlie McAvoy sits just behind Swayman, with Adam Fox in between the two Bruins. McAvoy also received an 89 overall, landing 53rd in the game and 14th among defensemen. His rating didn’t change from last year despite the best offensive season of his NHL career.

Those three are the only Bruins inside the top 100.

Morgan Geekie made one of the bigger jumps on Boston’s roster, climbing to an 87 overall from an 83 at this time last year. After a 39-goal season, he now sits in the same neighborhood as Cutter Gauthier and Pavel Dorofeyev, both of whom are also 87 after scoring 41 and 37 goals, respectively.

JJ Peterka is listed as the fifth-best player on the Bruins by EA, with an 86 overall rating - the same number he had last year in Utah. That puts him 152nd overall and 47th among wingers, which also makes him the last Bruin inside the top 200.

Pavel Zacha comes in just outside that range at No. 207 with an 85 overall rating. His career-high 30-goal, 65-point season didn’t produce a major jump, though he did move up one overall from this time last year.

Three Boston defensemen - Nikita Zadorov, Mason Lohrei, and Hampus Lindholm - are all rated 85 overall as well, with each landing between Nos. 237 and 241.

Elias Lindholm closes out the Bruins’ group. He’s at 84 overall in NHL 27, ranked No. 273 overall and 72nd among centers.

Here is the full table of Bruins player ratings from EA, including player abilities and attributes:

In Other News...

Bruins Fans Finally Have A Real Debate About The Teams Future

The Bruins have spent the past year living in a strange middle ground: good enough to bank 100 points and reach the playoffs, but not quite good enough to make anyone comfortable about what comes next. Even with limited roster upgrades last season, the organization still found a way to stay competitive, and now the conversation has started to shift from what this group is right now to what it might look like down the road.

A better pipeline is part of why that debate feels more real in Boston than it has in a while. The prospect system has taken a noticeable step forward in recent rankings, and the names driving that rise are the kind of young players fans can actually build hope around. James Hagens, Dean Letourneau and Will Zellers are giving the Bruins something they have not always had in recent seasons: a clearer sense that the future is not just theoretical, but beginning to take shape. [Read more 🡒]

Bruins Enter Camp With Questions Fans Can't Ignore

Training camp is about to bring answers the Bruins have spent the offseason circling, and the conversation around the club is already centered on familiar pressure points. The roster battles are drawing the most attention, while James Hagens and Mason Lohrei sit among the younger names fans will be watching closely as Boston tries to sort out what its lineup should look like heading into the new season.

There is also the bigger-picture question of where the Bruins fit in the leagues early expectations, and the outside view has not exactly elevated the noise level around this group. With the captaincy still part of the discussion and season projections suggesting a team with more to prove than to celebrate, camp will be as much about answering long-term concerns as it is about winning jobs in the moment. [Read more 🡒]

Bruins Face A Tough Cutter Gauthier Question They Can't Ignore

The idea of Boston getting involved in the Cutter Gauthier market has picked up because Anaheim is suddenly facing pressure on the salary-cap front, which has opened the door to speculation about whether the young forward could become available. For the Bruins, the appeal is obvious: Gauthier brings a high-end skill set and long-term upside, and any team in Bostons position has to at least monitor a situation that could shift quickly if the Ducks decide they need relief.

Still, this is the kind of scenario that lives in rumor territory until something real materializes, and the Bruins would have to weigh both the cost and the fit before going any further. There are already questions around Gauthiers contract status and his relationship with Anaheim, which makes the whole picture more delicate, and Boston would not be the only club willing to call if the Ducks seriously entertain offers. [Read more 🡒]