Connor McDavid keeps doing what nobody else in the league can quite match, and now EA Sports is matching the message. After years of bending games, tempo and defenses to his will, McDavid is finally getting the first-ever 99 overall rating in NHL 27. It’s a fitting nod for a player who has already stacked up the kind of playoff numbers and highlights that make the rest of the sport look ordinary.
That recognition feels especially earned after Edmonton’s back-to-back Cup Final runs in 2024 and 2025. McDavid has been at the center of it all, carving through defenders, dictating pace and piling up points deep into the postseason.
The recap points to one of the clearest examples of his dominance: he broke Wayne Gretzky’s playoff assist record with 32 helpers. At this point, the video game rating is just the digital version of what the hockey world has been saying for a while - McDavid has been playing at 99 level for years.
In Montreal, the crease picture is starting to take shape, and Sam Montembeault looks like the goalie most likely to be squeezed out. The setup appears to favor Jakub Dobes as the No. 1, with Jacob Fowler lined up behind him. Dobes was the one the Canadiens leaned on in the postseason, and Fowler’s exemption status gives Montreal some flexibility as it sorts out the depth chart.
Montembeault is the tricky part. Because Fowler is exempt, Montreal has room to maneuver, but Montembeault does not have that same cushion.
If the Canadiens try to send him down or move on from him, there’s a real risk another team claims him. That’s why the safer path looks like Dobes starting, Fowler backing up, and Montembeault becoming the odd man out unless Montreal eventually decides to trade him.
Toronto’s Morgan Rielly situation may be less settled than it first appears. The longest-tenured Leaf is not automatically locked into a clean role, especially with Raddysh coming in and Rielly’s defensive work still viewed as a concern. His power-play duties could shrink, and his overall usage might get more limited if the Leafs decide to lean elsewhere.
Still, the recap suggests Toronto may want to test a different approach before making a move. One possibility is a more creative offensive role for Rielly, even using him as a winger in certain spots.
The idea would be to keep his passing and power-play value in play while taking some of the defensive burden off his shoulders, in a way that echoes how Byfuglien was used in Chicago/Winnipeg. If that experiment works, Rielly could stick around longer.
If it doesn’t, the trade-watch talk only gets louder.
In Other News...
Morgan Rielly Trade Talk Just Got A Crucial New Measuring Stick
The veteran defense market is getting a useful reference point in Detroit, where Justin Faulks situation has become one to watch. The Red Wings brought him in at last years trade deadline, but with turnover on the roster and younger players like Axel Sandin-Pellikka pushing into the picture, his place in the long-term plan is less certain than it once looked.
For the Maple Leafs, that matters because Toronto has been monitoring Faulks market as a way to gauge what a veteran blue-liner with a meaningful cap hit can bring back. Morgan Rielly sits in a different category entirely, with four years left on his deal and a no-movement clause, so any conversation around him is more complicated than a simple like-for-like comparison. Still, if Faulk draws real interest, it could sharpen the Leafs view of just how difficult it would be to move a defenseman on Riellys terms. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Need To Rethink 3 Big Training Camp Assumptions
Training camp has a way of hardening opinions before anyone has actually seen the lineup in motion, and the Maple Leafs are already carrying a few assumptions into September. John Tavares is often discussed as if his game has slipped badly with age, while Gavin McKenna is being treated like a player who has to be launched straight onto the top line, and Easton Cowan is still mostly viewed through the lens of a winger rather than anything else.
A closer look suggests Toronto may want to slow down on all three judgments. NHL tracking data points to Tavares being less cumbersome than the public narrative says, McKenna could have more room to grow into a role instead of being rushed into the spotlight, and Cowan might be worth a look down the middle if the Leafs want to explore different options. None of that settles the camp questions, but it does make the early roster debates a little more interesting than the usual guesswork. [Read more 🡒]