EA SPORTS NHL 27 lists four Montreal Canadiens among its top 300 forwards

EA SPORTS’ NHL 27 franchise has a clear Canadiens footprint on its latest ratings preview. The video game developer revealed a list of the top 300 forwards in NHL 27, and four Montreal Canadiens were included: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky.

For Canadiens fans, the most immediate takeaway is that Montreal’s current core and its next-wave promise are both being recognized. Suzuki represents the club’s established playmaking center, Caufield the scoring winger who has built his game around finishing chances quickly, while Slafkovsky adds a youthful, high-end two-way threat profile. Demidov, listed as part of the forward group, indicates that EA SPORTS is also projecting future impact from Montreal’s younger talent pipeline.

The NHL 27 list is not a league award, and it does not function like a standings measure, but it does reflect how EA SPORTS is modeling player value for gameplay. In practice, inclusion in a top-300 positional ranking tends to translate into more prominent roles inside the game modes that use these ratings, which often affects how users build lineups and matchups in offline play.

The Canadiens’ four-player presence also underscores how Montreal’s forward identity is trending toward a blend of control and perimeter damage. Suzuki’s presence aligns with the idea of structured offense that can create and manage territory. Caufield’s inclusion supports a profile built on conversion, while Slafkovsky and Demidov suggest Montreal is being treated as a team with forward depth that can stress opponents beyond the first line.

There are limits to how much should be read into a gaming list. EA SPORTS decisions are based on a combination of prior-season performance, player skill assessments, and what the studio considers the most relevant attributes for gameplay. That means the ranking can capture popular or skill-based strengths without perfectly matching how a given NHL season will unfold, and it should not be treated as a forecast of official on-ice results.

Looking ahead, the practical story for Montreal is how these recognitions line up with what fans expect to see on the ice. If the Canadiens’ young talent continues developing along the lines EA SPORTS is projecting, it would reinforce the club’s forward-building approach. If not, the list will remain a snapshot of EA SPORTS’ view at the start of an NHL 27 cycle rather than a definitive measure of future performance.