Every year, fans of sports games get excited and debate who should get the highest ratings. This is true for in Madden, FIFA, or NBA 2K. NHL 23 ratings aren't here just yet, but the annual sports game should be announcing them soon, so there's no better time to speculate on which wingers will be the best this year.
While centers are often the best puck distributors and rack up gaudy assist totals, the most talented left wings and right wings in the NHL are the pure goal scorers that have a knack for going top shelf for that huge goal when their team needs it the most. No team in the NHL can hope to win the Stanley Cup without consistent and timely goal scoring, and no player in NHL 23 can hope to dominate Head-to-Head competition online without some elite wingers to bury a huge coal at a critical moment.
NHL 23's Likely Top Wingers
There are a lot of elite wingers in the NHL, and there should be some movement among the top players at the position in NHL 23 because of some big breakout campaigns in 2021-22 and some other players having unfortunate drop-off years. For example, Kevin Fiala was an 84 Overall player in NHL 22, but a 33-goal and 85-point campaign in the 2021-22 season should result in a rating closer to 90 Overall when NHL 23 takes the ice.
As with any sports game, some attributes in NHL 23 matter a lot more than others and where the attribute points are spent makes a huge difference in how good a player of a certain overall rating is. Offensive skill and athleticism attributes like speed, wrist shot power and accuracy, acceleration, passing, and deking mean a lot more than other attributes do for players looking to dominate in Head-to-Head competition online. Those attributes are the biggest factor in deciding which players will be the best in any given year.
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild, 91 Overall
Kirill "The Thrill" Kaprizov had a dominant second season in the NHL, following up on his Calder Trophy winning rookie season with 47 goals and 108 points in 2021-22. Kaprizov is an elite scorer and playmaker, and his NHL 22 rating of 88 Overall will increase significantly in NHL 23 after he demonstrated that he belongs in the conversation with other elite wingers and is worth every penny of a 5-year, $45 million contract he had signed after playing only 55 games in the NHL.
Kaprizov will be a valuable player to have in either Head-to-Head or Hockey Ultimate Team, as his combination of speed, playmaking ability, vision, and shooting make him a highlight reel waiting to happen. With passing, shooting, and speed being at a premium in online play in NHL 23, the young Russian NHL player is seemingly tailor-made for video game hockey.
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs, 91 Overall
Mitch Marner is likely among the top wingers in NHL 23. Marner is a very skilled offensive player who saw his points per game increase to over 1.3 in 2021-22, but he maybe isn't quite as dynamic or complete of a player as a winger like Kaprizov. Marner does, however, have the benefit of playing in Toronto, where great players are considered superstar players and both his yearly salary and NHL 23 attributes reflect will likely reflect this.
Marner will have among the lowest defensive and physical attributes among the elite players, as he is mostly an offensively focused player who will take advantage of space with a lethal shot and great accuracy. These strengths made Marner elite in NHL 22, as online Head-to-Head matchups are much more about skill than any sort of physical grind or defensive battle.
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning, 92 Overall
Although he only played in 47 games in 2021-22, Nikita Kucherov still put up 69 points with an impressive 1.46 points per game as he remained Tampa Bay's biggest scoring threat and a winger that commands the attention of the opponent any time he's on the ice. At 29, Kucherov still skates very well despite the injury history he's had, and he is truly one of the most elite snipers in the modern NHL.
Kucherov's shot can be a game changer at any time in a Head-to-Head matchup, especially on the power play where he can get some space and be fed with a good pass by one of Tampa Bay's playmakers. He also has elite puck skills and offensive awareness, making him a threat whenever he is on the ice and a player who should excel at the last-chance animations added in NHL 23.
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks, 92 Overall
At 33 years of age, it is easy to think that Patrick Kane will start to slow down in production soon, but for now he remains one of the most creative and dominant offensive players in the NHL. His 92 points in 2021-22 is impressive on its own, but when the fact that he played on a terrible Chicago team is considered, there is no doubt that Kane is still at the top of his game. Kane has unparalleled vision and anticipation both in NHL 22 and on the ice, and his scoring touch is only surpassed by his ability to always find his teammates with the puck to set them up for a great scoring chance.
Kane's passing and shooting make him elite to begin with, and his skating ability puts him over the top as a player anyone would want on their side in a Head-to-Head or Hockey Ultimate Team match. Kane probably wouldn't be the best scorer on a good Ultimate Team roster, but his elite overall skill set makes him an easy choice for a centerpiece to build around as he will make other players more effective.
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, 93 Overall
Hockey analysts keep thinking that Alex Ovechkin, now 36 years old and featuring salt-and-pepper hair, is about to begin a sharp decline, and they continue to be wrong every single year. In 2021-22, Ovechkin scored 50 goals and was still the most dangerous sniper in the entire NHL, as any team that left him remotely open on the power play likely paid a price on the scoreboard. Ovechkin combines a unique set of strengths in shooting and physical play that more than makes up for the fact that his skating is no longer quite as good as some of the other elite wingers in NHL 23.
Any player that likes to set up a power play and move the puck around looking for one-timers will want to have Ovechkin on their Ultimate Team, and they'll want to consider using the Capitals in Head-to-Head to take advantage of Ovechkin's one-timer ability. There are better skaters in NHL 23 and better passers too, but the elite Russian superstar is still the best shooter in the entire NHL and that will be reflected in NHL 23 when it launches this October.
NHL 23 is scheduled to release on October 14th, 2022 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.