EA Sports’ latest NHL 27 rankings put a bright spotlight on the Florida Panthers’ forward group, and the message is clear: this is a deep, dangerous bunch.
The top name for Florida is captain Sasha Barkov, who landed at 95 overall and checked in as the 8th forward on the list. Barkov did not play at all during the 2025-26 season after tearing up his knee in training camp, but he returned to the ice at May’s IIHF World Championships and did not look like someone shaking off rust. He helped Finland win gold and led the team with 11 points in 10 games.
Right behind Barkov is Sam Reinhart at 91 overall, followed by Matthew Tkachuk at 90. Brady Tkachuk and Brad Marchand are both rated 89 overall. Last season, Reinhart and Marchand were the ones keeping the Panthers going offensively while Barkov, Tkachuk and others were sidelined.
Florida’s presence keeps going after that. Four more Panthers forwards sit in the 80s: Sam Bennett at 86, Anton Lundell at 86, Carter Verhaeghe at 85 and Eetu Luostarinen at 84.
The attribute breakdown gives a better sense of why EA Sports likes this group so much. Marchand and Verhaeghe were tied for the team’s best speed rating at 89, with Bennett next at 88 and Barkov at 87.
In acceleration, Marchand and Bennett were again at the top at 89, followed by Verhaeghe at 88 and Reinhart and Brady Tkachuk at 87. Matthew Tkachuk was given an 85 in both speed and acceleration.
When it comes to deking, Barkov stood out with a 93. Reinhart followed at 91, and Marchand came in at 90.
Passing was another area where Florida’s top forwards scored well. Barkov and Marchand led the way with 94 ratings, while Matthew Tkachuk checked in at 93, Reinhart at 92 and Brady Tkachuk at 90.
For shooting, Brady Tkachuk was given Florida’s hardest slapshot at 90, the only Panthers forward in the 90s in that category. He also had the team’s top wrist shot rating at 91, with Reinhart next at 90.
NHL 27 is set to release on Sept. 11, and EA Sports is also rolling out a new broadcast duo with John Buccigross and Darren Pang. For Panthers fans, though, the real-world version of all this probably feels even better after seeing what this group can do when the games matter.
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For a team that has spent much of the past few seasons trying to stay at the top of the Eastern Conference picture, the message was clear: standing still was not an option. The scale of the deal alone put Florida under a brighter spotlight than usual, and the rest of the summer only sharpened the sense that Zito was betting big on another push, even if the full cost of that gamble will be talked about for a while. [Read more 🡒]
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For a club built to win now, the ranking is less about embarrassment than urgency. The scouting reports pointed to a group with varied tools and different development timelines, but also one that still has to prove it can supply real NHL value behind the current roster. The improvement in the rankings matters, though the bigger question for Florida is whether those prospects can turn a thin pipeline into something more dependable before the window tightens. [Read more 🡒]