Predicting the Top 10 Left Defensemen in NHL 25

NHL 25 is quickly approaching. Chel players are only a few weeks away from being able to play the new game and see just how different the gameplay feels with all the latest features they have added.

This week, EA Sports will reveal their top-rated players in the game, starting at the winger position on Sept. 16. The players who patrol the blueline follow next in line. And we can assume that cover athlete Quinn Hughes will be amongst the highest-rated defensemen.

Before we do our predictions, here is where the top LD blueliners rank amongst each other in NHL 24:

1. Quinn Hughes - 95

2. Roman Josi - 94

3. Victor Hedman - 93

4. Rasmus Dahlin - 91

5. Miro Heiskanen - 91

6. Josh Morrissey - 89

7. Shea Theodore - 89

8. Devon Toews - 89

9. Morgan Rielly - 88

10. Mikhail Sergachev - 88 
    *Vince Dunn, Adam Pelech, Jaccob Slavin, Zach Werenski, MacKenzie Weegar (Weegar is a right-shot but primarily plays on the left side).

Related: Introducing Next-Gen Characters in NHL 25

Below are our predictions of what NHL 25's top 10 LD player ratings will be.

1. Quinn Hughes - Vancouver Canucks - 95

We see no reason why the reigning James Norris trophy winner, who led all defensemen in scoring last season with 92 points, would have his overall adjusted from the 95 he finished with in NHL 24. He deserves to be one of the highest-rated defensemen in the game, alongside a certain Colorado Avalanche right-shot defender.

2. Roman Josi - Nashville Predators - 94

Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi received a +1 to his player rating in NHL 24's last roster update. He should be unveiled as the second-highest-rated LD behind Hughes at 94 overall. Josi led all defensemen in goals in 2023-24 with 23 and his 85 points were the second-most points he's recorded in a season (scored 96 points in 2021-22)

3. Victor Hedman - Tampa Bay Lightning - 93

In the 2022-23 season, Victor Hedman's performance declined as he only managed to score 49 points in 76 games. This was his lowest point total in a season with a minimum of 60 games played since 2015-16. The two-time Stanley Cup Champion returned to form last season, recording 70+ points for the third time in his career. He's still amongst the top five best defensemen in the league.

Related: New to NHL 25: Grudge Match

4. Miro Heiskanen - Dallas Stars - 91

Miro Heiskanen's production fell off in 2023-24 after he recorded 73 points in the previous season. His 54 points in 71 games are still impressive, but what stood out more was his play in the playoffs, en route to a second consecutive Western Conference Finals appearance with the Dallas Stars. He could drop to a 90 overall, but that would be shocking and a head-scratcher.

5. Rasmus Dahlin - Buffalo Sabres - 90

Here we have our first change. We have Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin falling from a 91 to a 90. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, although he set a career-high in goals (20), his 59 points last season were 14 less than the 73 he recorded in 2022-23. Secondly, we're also factoring in Buffalo's regular season woes of failing to make the playoffs, and how Dahlin did not have the opportunity to make up for his down year in the post-season like Heiskanen did.

6. Gustav Forsling - Florida Panthers - 89

Everyone knows who Gustav Forsling is after he emerged as Florida's best defenseman in their Stanley Cup run. We debated predicting him with a 90 overall rating but decided against it considering he doesn't fill up the scoresheet with points like others. However, a +3 rating boost from 86 to 89 seems completely fair and warranted.

7. Devon Toews - Colorado Avalanche - 89

There should be no change for Colorado Avalanche left-shot defenseman Devon Toews. He played all 82 games last season and matched his 50 points from 2022-23. Cale Makar steals the spotlight in Colorado, but Toews is a very underrated defenseman who hides in No. 8's shadow at times.

8. Zach Werenski - Columbus Blue Jackets - 89

A healthy Zach Werenski is something we love to see. The Blue Jackets top defenseman played 70 games last season and set a career-high in points with 57. Werenski is a machine in Columbus that logs heavy minutes every single night and deserves a little +1 boost in recognition.

9. Josh Morrissey - Winnipeg Jets - 89

Josh Morrissey stays put at 89 overall. It was going to be a challenge to match his incredible 76-point breakout season in 2022-23, but he pretty much matched it last season with 69 points and was a plus-34. Even more impressively, 50 of his 69 points came at even strength, showing that he didn't rely on the powerplay to rack up the points.

10. Shea Theodore - Vegas Golden Knights - 89

Shea Theodore battled injuries last season, which kept him to only 47 games. It's the second year in a row where he's played less than 60 games in the year, but he's still producing at nearly a point per game. In 2023-24, his 42 points had him on pace for a 70-point season if he played the full year. If that happened, we would've talked about him being a 90 or even 91 overall.

Related: Improvements to Hitting Coming in NHL 25

NHL 25 ratings can be seen here and on EA Sports NHL's social media channels.

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