EA Sports has put out its NHL 27 player ratings, and the Ottawa Senators landed 10 players among the game’s top 300. At the top of the team list is Tim Stützle, who comes in at No. 31 overall with a 91 rating.
Stützle is the only Senator in the 90s, and the game leans hard into the traits that already define him. He gets a 94 for deking, 93 for speed, 93 for acceleration, 92 for passing and 92 for offensive awareness. He also ranks 14th among centres.
Jake Sanderson is right behind him and, in some ways, not really behind him at all. Sanderson sits 59th overall with an 89 rating, and he actually tops Stützle in speed with a 94.
He also earns a 93 for wrist-shot power. That kind of placement puts him in strong company and matches how fast his reputation has climbed around the league.
Drake Batherson checks in next for Ottawa at No. 115 overall with an 87 rating, while Thomas Chabot is right there with him at 87 as well, ranking 126th. Batherson’s best offensive number is his 91 passing rating. Chabot’s strongest marks are 90 for deking and 90 for puck control.
The next pair on the Senators list are William Eklund and Dylan Cozens, who are separated by just one spot. Eklund is 150th overall with an 86 rating, and Cozens is 151st with the same number. Eklund’s best rating is a 90 for passing, while Cozens’ top category is acceleration at 89.
After that, Ottawa has four players tied at 85 overall. Linus Ullmark is the highest of that group, coming in 199th overall and 19th among goaltenders.
Shane Pinto follows at No. 244, Artem Zub is No. 250, and Claude Giroux rounds out the Senators’ top 10 at No.
Pinto’s best marks are 88 for acceleration and 88 for slap-shot power. Giroux, even with the years piling up, still gets elite treatment in one area: his 91 passing rating is tied with Batherson for the best on the team.
EA’s top 300 can make Ottawa’s group look a little ordinary at first glance, but the bigger picture matters too. The article notes that 340 other players who will be on opening night NHL rosters this fall do not appear on the list.
For perspective, Connor McDavid received a 99 overall rating, making him the first player ever to get the game’s highest mark.
For the Senators, the ratings underline a simple idea: if this team succeeds, it will be because of depth and collective play, not because it is loaded with players chasing individual hardware.
The full Senators list among EA’s published top 262 is:
- Tim Stützle - 91
- Jake Sanderson - 89
- Drake Batherson - 87
- Thomas Chabot - 87
- William Eklund - 86
- Dylan Cozens - 86
- Linus Ullmark - 85
- Shane Pinto - 85
- Artem Zub - 85
- Claude Giroux - 85
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Stutzle also made clear that Ottawa is not viewing the move as the end of its ambitions. Even with one of the teams most recognizable young players gone, he expressed confidence in the current roster and the Senators chances to stay in the playoff mix. The bigger question now is how quickly that belief translates into results, especially after a change that reshapes both the room and the expectations around it. [Read more 🡒]