Another season is upon us, and, as always, it means that a new iteration of EA Sports’ popular franchise, NHL, is just around the corner. How do the Montreal Canadiens players measure up this season?

There has been some improvement, both individually and collectively. Captain Nick Suzuki had an 89 rating last season and comes in at 90 this time around. Sniper Cole Caufield remains at 88, but he’s no longer the only Habs to have that rating; this year, he’s joined by defensemen Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson.

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There’s been a slight improvement for Kaiden Guhle, who goes from 85 to 86, while defenseman Mike Matheson has been taken down a level, going from 87 to 86. Patrik Laine and Juraj Slafkovsky remain at 85.

Goaltender Samuel Montembeault also has an 85 rating, a one-point progress compared to last season. 85 is a recurring theme for the Canadiens this season; highly touted rookie Ivan Demidov gets the same rating.

Last year, the Canadiens had only seven players with ratings of 85 or above; this time around, they have 10 players who have achieved this milestone. Granted, these are only video game ratings, and they don’t actually mean much, but they still indicate that the Habs’ rebuild is heading in the right direction.

The group of players Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton are painstakingly assembling is starting to take shape, and the results are beginning to show. Participation in the playoffs and the added respect they are receiving from media members and video game designers are the first signs that this rebuild is taking a turn for the better.

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