Without question, the most stunning move of the NHL off-season was the trade that saw the Montreal Canadiens ship star defenceman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for another stud D-man, Shea Weber.
A deal that’s sure to be analyzed and picked apart for years to come, the actual impact of the move itself is difficult to quantify in the short-term as we have no idea how either player will mesh with their new surroundings, teammates and coaches.
According to EA Sports, however, not only will Subban and Weber fit in just fine in their new digs, they’ll flourish and help take their respective clubs to the top.
Photo Credit: EA Sports
EA Sports has done an official simulation of the 2016-17 NHL season using their latest hockey offering, NHL 17, ahead of puck drop Wednesday. The end result sees Subban’s Predators taking on Weber’s Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final, with Nashville beating Montreal 4-2 in the sim.
Canadiens’ management and Subban have always seemed to butt heads with each other, so seeing their former franchise star stick it to them in the final would be something only Hollywood could come up with (we can only hope this actually happens).
Photo Credit: EA Sports
Nashville’s championship run was the culmination of a dominant 110-point President’s Trophy-winning season. Montreal finished its regular season with 99 points, good for second in the Eastern Conference behind the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 107. The Habs and Bolts met in the conference semifinal with Montreal coming out on top in six games.
Of the individual hardware handed out, Nashville’s Filip Forsberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy and a healthy Carey Price resumed his reign as the NHL’s best goalie with his second Vezina victory.
Connor McDavid also took home some hardware in the simulation by walking away with Hart, Lindsay and Art Ross trophies in a monstrous second campaign in the NHL. He led the Edmonton Oilers back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and helped them reached the conference semifinal after beating the Los Angeles Kings in six games.
Photo Credit: EA Sports
Not to be left out, the Toronto Maple Leafs also squeezed back into the playoffs in the sim thanks largely to Auston Matthews, who lived up to all the hype around him with a Calder-winning season. Toronto would end up getting swept in the first round by the Lightning.
Out of the seven Canadian NHL teams, only three made the post-season: the Canadiens, Oilers and Leafs. The Calgary Flames ended up just one point out of the playoff picture while the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets were four and five points out, respectively. The Vancouver Canucks ended up with the dubious distinction of finishing last in the league with 63 points, giving them the best odds to land projected No. 1 overall pick Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Photo Credit: EA Sports
Other interesting quirks of the simulation include the Detroit Red Wings missing the playoffs, snapping their amazing 25-straight season record and seeing the Anaheim Ducks finish with just 77 points, and being the only Western Conference playoff team from 2016 to miss the post-season.
Below is a full breakdown of the end-of-season standings and individual awards winners:
Eastern Conference
1) Tampa Bay Lightning – 107 pts
2) Montreal Canadiens – 99 pts
3) Washington Capitals – 97 pts
4) Pittsburgh Penguins – 93 pts
5) Florida Panthers – 93 pts
6) Philadelphia Flyers – 93 pts
7) New York Islanders – 92 pts – Wild Card
8) Toronto Maple Leafs – 91 pts – Wild Card
9) New York Rangers – 89 pts
10) Detroit Red Wings – 87 pts
11) Ottawa Senators – 87 pts
12) Buffalo Sabres – 85 pts
13) Boston Bruins – 84 pts
14) Carolina Hurricanes – 81 pts
15) New Jersey Devils – 79 pts
16) Columbus Blue Jackets – 76 pts
Western Conference
1) Nashville Predators – 110 pts
2) Dallas Stars – 107 pts
3) San Jose Sharks – 107 pts
4) Chicago Blackhawks – 102 pts
5) St. Louis Blues – 95 pts – Wild Card
6) Los Angeles Kings – 93 pts
7) Minnesota Wild – 87 pts – Wild Card
8) Edmonton Oilers – 85 pts
9) Calgary Flames – 84 pts
10) Arizona Coyotes – 83 pts
11) Winnipeg Jets – 82 pts
12) Anaheim Ducks – 77 pts
13) Colorado Avalanche – 74 pts
14) Vancouver Canucks – 63 pts
Award Winners
Conn Smythe Trophy: Filip Forsberg (NSH)
Hart Memorial Trophy: Connor McDavid (EDM)
Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid (EDM)
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Brent Burns (SJS)
Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy: Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)
Vezina Trophy: Carey Price (MTL)
William M. Jennings Trophy: Martin Jones (SJS)
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Anze Kopitar (LA)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Nicklas Backstrom (WAS)
Calder Memorial Trophy: Auston Matthews (TOR)
Ted Lindsay Award: Connor McDavid (EDM)
