Kucherov leads winger ratings in NHL 26

Aug 29, 2025, 09:17 AM ET

Following its reveal of the defender ratings in NHL 26, EA Sports has published a list of the 20 best wingers — ten from the right and ten from the left. Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov 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.

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Filling out the two empty spots on the podium are David Pastrnak from the Boston Bruins and Kirill Kaprizov from Minnesota Wild, 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.

Mikko Rantanen, cover star Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Reinhart follow the duo with 93 OVR.

Here is the full list of the top 20 wingers in NHL 26:

1. Nikita Kucherov — Tampa Bay Lightning (96 OVR)

2. David Pastrnak — Boston Bruins (94 OVR)

3. Kirill Kaprizov — Minnesota Wild (94 OVR)

4. Mikko Rantanen — Dallas Stars (93 OVR)

5. Matthew Tkachuk — Florida Panthers (93 OVR)

6. Sam Reinhart — Florida Panthers (93 OVR)

7. Artemi Panarin — New York Rangers (92 OVR)

8. William Nylander — Toronto Maple Leafs (92 OVR)

9. Mitch Marner — Vegas Golden Knights (92 OVR)

10. Kyle Connor — Winnipeg Jets (92 OVR)

11. Jesper Bratt — New Jersey Devils (91 OVR)

12. Alex Ovechkin — Washington Capitals (90 OVR)

13. Brandon Hagel — Tampa Bay Lightning (90 OVR)

14. Clayton Keller — Utah Mammoth (90 OVR)

15. Matt Boldy — Minnesota Wild (89 OVR)

16. Brad Marchand — Florida Panthers (89 OVR)

17. Jake Guentzel — Tampa Bay Lightning (89 OVR)

18. Lucas Raymond — Detroit Red Wings (89 OVR)

19. Kirill Marchenko — Columbus Blue Jackets (89 OVR)

20. Mark Stone — Vegas Golden Knights (89 OVR)