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. Today, they unveiled their top 20 wingers in the game. The defensemen are up next and will be announced on Sept. 17.
Earlier today, we posted an article predicting what the top LDs will be in NHL 25, which can be found here.
Before we get into our predictions for the right side of the ice on defense, here is where the top RDs rank amongst each other in NHL 24:
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Cale Makar – 95
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Adam Fox – 93
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Charlie McAvoy – 92
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Dougie Hamilton – 90
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John Carlson – 89
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Alex Pietrangelo – 89
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Noah Dobson – 89
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Erik Karlsson – 88
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Evan Bouchard – 88
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Moritz Seider – 88
*Drew Doughty and Filip Hronek also finished at 88 overall.
Related: Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon Highlight Fastest Skaters in NHL 25
Below are our predictions for the top 10 RD player ratings in NHL 25.
1. Cale Makar – Colorado Avalanche – 95
The NHL 24 Cover Boy is the best defenseman in the league. I would argue that he should be the standalone highest-rated blueliner in the game. However, since Quinn Hughes is on the cover for NHL 25, it’s a safe bet that both Makar and Hughes will tie each other at 95 overall.
2. Adam Fox – New York Rangers – 92
Adam Fox just recorded his third straight 70+ point season. We have him sliding one overall down to a 92. That’s because he didn’t stand out as much in the Rangers’ playoff run as in the previous two seasons. If Victor Hedman is rated 93, Fox should be rated one point lower, considering the two-time Stanley Cup champ has proven that his game isn’t declining yet.
Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
3. Charlie McAvoy – Boston Bruins – 91
Boston Bruins’ number-one defenseman, Charlie McAvoy, we are also giving a -1 bump to his overall in NHL 25. He set a career-high in goals (12) but recorded five fewer points last season (47) than he did in 2022-23 (52) in seven fewer games. Additionally, his plus/minus rating dropped from +29 to +4, but we should take into consideration that he averaged almost 25 minutes a night.
4. Evan Bouchard – Edmonton Oilers – 91
Before those argue that Bouchard doesn’t deserve to be rated as high as 91 because of his shaky defensive play, we advise you to look at his points progression this past season. He recorded 42 more points than in 2022-23, finishing fourth among defensemen with 82 last season. And Bouchard’s 26 assists in the playoffs were the most recorded by a defenseman in history.
Related: NHL 25 Will Not be Released on PC
5. Noah Dobson – New York Islanders – 90
Noah Dobson had one of the biggest breakout seasons in 2023-24, as he emerged as the number-one guy in Long Island. He averaged 20:23 TOI/GP in 2022-23. Last season, his time on ice jumped to 24:31 per game, while increasing his production to 70 points.
Amber Searls-Imagn Images
6. John Carlson – Washington Capitals – 89
At 34 years old, John Carlson isn’t the same defenseman that will put up 70 points a season (part of that is because of Washington’s lack of talent), but he’s still a top-pairing defenseman. Carlson finished last season with the highest average time on ice per game (25:54) and carried the load on the Capital’s young defense core.
7. Dougie Hamilton – New Jersey Devils – 89
Dougie Hamilton was on pace for another 70-point season before he suffered his injury early in the season. We have him falling to an 89 overall primarily because of the injury but also because we view him and John Carlson as very similar defensemen and on par with each other who should share the same overall.
T8 at 88 Overall:
Alex Pietrangelo – Vegas Golden Knights
Brandon Montour – Seattle Kraken
Moritz Seider – Detroit Red Wings
Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
Brock Faber – Minnesota Wild
Erik Karlsson – Pittsburgh Penguins
Related: New to NHL 25: Grudge Match
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