{"id":104499,"date":"2025-08-29T15:06:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T15:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/104499\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T15:06:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T15:06:07","slug":"kucherov-leads-winger-ratings-in-nhl-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/104499\/","title":{"rendered":"Kucherov leads winger ratings in NHL 26"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Following its reveal of the defender ratings in NHL 26, EA Sports has published a list of the 20 best wingers &#8212; ten from the right and ten from the left. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/tb\/tampa-bay-lightning\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"49fa608f-040f-21c1-ebfb-99e8feb8b774\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> winger <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/2563060\/nikita-kucherov\" data-player-guid=\"3a576cdf-1ad7-79e3-04f1-a1fba8ab110a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nikita Kucherov<\/a> has claimed the top spot with 96 OVR, making him fourth on the overall ranking. Having been assigned the Playmaker style, his strongest stats are Passing, Offensive Awareness, Deking, and Puck Control, allowing him to set up scoring attempts or try for a goal himself with ease.<\/p>\n<p>Editor&#8217;s Picks<\/p>\n<p>2 Related<\/p>\n<p>Filling out the two empty spots on the podium are <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3114778\/david-pastrnak\" data-player-guid=\"543d2b9d-a469-eeb7-6192-b3cb9eecec17\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">David Pastrnak<\/a> from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/bos\/boston-bruins\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"585503ab-1462-2afe-7a70-aafea4f6b1b6\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Boston Bruins<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3942335\/kirill-kaprizov\" data-player-guid=\"6286ddfa-605f-e479-45fb-e95c7b07f8aa\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kirill Kaprizov<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/min\/minnesota-wild\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"b024c635-e192-6545-f8c1-b5da0df5ff6c\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Minnesota Wild<\/a>, who both sport 94 OVR. Pastrnak has a bit of an edge on Kaprizov in most categories, though, and beats Kucherov in terms of Acceleration and Speed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3899938\/mikko-rantanen\" data-player-guid=\"a4c68008-1a67-be00-9cd1-71441f4820f8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mikko Rantanen<\/a>, cover star <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/4024854\/matthew-tkachuk\" data-player-guid=\"2253f50a-7d0f-f0c4-7345-d3da9d3fdf65\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew Tkachuk<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3114722\/sam-reinhart\" data-player-guid=\"1ebf6e18-9262-fd26-fa16-ff534d8b7a63\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sam Reinhart<\/a> follow the duo with 93 OVR.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the full list of the top 20 wingers in NHL 26:<\/p>\n<p>Nikita Kucherov &#8212; Tampa Bay Lightning (96 OVR)<\/p>\n<p>David Pastrnak &#8212; Boston Bruins (94 OVR)<\/p>\n<p>Kirill Kaprizov &#8212; Minnesota Wild (94 OVR)<\/p>\n<p>Mikko Rantanen &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/dal\/dallas-stars\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"165c24ec-4c6b-36f2-b276-3169cf6ab8f7\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Stars<\/a> (93 OVR)<\/p>\n<p>Matthew Tkachuk &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/fla\/florida-panthers\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"195561c3-b7d9-935e-0623-8f0a00357080\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Florida Panthers<\/a> (93 OVR)<\/p>\n<p>Sam Reinhart &#8212; Florida Panthers (93 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3891952\/artemi-panarin\" data-player-guid=\"ab433452-d40f-93a3-8915-2b559768ff01\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Artemi Panarin<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/nyr\/new-york-rangers\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"4e807ac9-f3b7-8e3b-8549-441c1e604c17\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New York Rangers<\/a> (92 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3114736\/william-nylander\" data-player-guid=\"f7054599-31be-43fb-d1c9-c2cd15ce9cba\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">William Nylander<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/tor\/toronto-maple-leafs\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"5aa11fc5-b122-f21a-1ddb-a63c5b3dddee\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> (92 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3899937\/mitch-marner\" data-player-guid=\"7abcd6a1-150b-8797-bc35-db51cfe8939b\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mitch Marner<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/vgk\/vegas-golden-knights\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"dd8e7d92-918d-4ec1-4e50-c328fc09467a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> (92 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3899952\/kyle-connor\" data-player-guid=\"fed5ad3c-bfe3-b3a7-2bfb-bcaeda9f3f4a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kyle Connor<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/wpg\/winnipeg-jets\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"3fb0986b-350c-b309-1dca-29e401834691\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Winnipeg Jets<\/a> (92 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/4268771\/jesper-bratt\" data-player-guid=\"9844478c-b603-c2fd-cfd0-0df6affbba73\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jesper Bratt<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/nj\/new-jersey-devils\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"beb0cb35-4d9f-a5e8-9e7b-d5ca97e51d93\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New Jersey Devils<\/a> (91 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3101\/alex-ovechkin\" data-player-guid=\"71847c2f-dbf5-92bd-a95f-3857464ad180\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Ovechkin<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/wsh\/washington-capitals\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"cbe677ee-361e-91b4-5cae-6c4c30044743\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Capitals<\/a> (90 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/4065019\/brandon-hagel\" data-player-guid=\"d9d6925e-e010-ef75-dfb4-397a161be62c\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brandon Hagel<\/a> &#8212; Tampa Bay Lightning (90 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/4024857\/clayton-keller\" data-player-guid=\"a3f54f80-52fc-a29a-91ef-a45132c179cf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Clayton Keller<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/uta\/utah-mammoth\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"f7e8115e-e00b-315d-8018-d2b38e4f420a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Utah Mammoth<\/a> (90 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/4565233\/matt-boldy\" data-player-guid=\"2cae8346-0534-7669-2348-729c387d8867\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matt Boldy<\/a> &#8212; Minnesota Wild (89 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3852\/brad-marchand\" data-player-guid=\"96dbee19-d313-4f86-8aa8-d78db7b5bda4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brad Marchand<\/a> &#8212; Florida Panthers (89 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3042083\/jake-guentzel\" data-player-guid=\"d4c3125c-aa8f-bfb1-d818-2d409099f51f\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jake Guentzel<\/a> &#8212; Tampa Bay Lightning (89 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/4697385\/lucas-raymond\" data-player-guid=\"7a9cfc92-e4f8-3185-b17d-0b3111a76fb4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lucas Raymond<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/det\/detroit-red-wings\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"285ae6e1-8408-88cf-50ad-1a1e7be66658\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Detroit Red Wings<\/a> (89 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/4587996\/kirill-marchenko\" data-player-guid=\"05239482-6d9c-034d-6e4a-6536a3eef631\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kirill Marchenko<\/a> &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nhl\/team\/_\/name\/cbj\/columbus-blue-jackets\" data-clubhouse-guid=\"724d5dd5-197c-6f1d-29ca-a0b4f25eb1b6\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> (89 OVR)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/5545\/mark-stone\" data-player-guid=\"a47542b4-b6b4-2a7c-b394-a080931ee7ac\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mark Stone<\/a> &#8212; Vegas Golden Knights (89 OVR)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Following its reveal of the defender ratings in NHL 26, EA Sports has published a list of the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-104499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}