An NHL 19 simulated season sees the Leafs, fueled by Tavares, hoist the cup after beating San Jose in the Stanley Cup final.
Every year at the beginning of a new NHL season, EA Sports lets its annual iteration of the NHL franchise simulate the year to determine who will take home the Stanley Cup and various player and team awards. This year, NHL 19 simulated a full season and determined that the Stanley Cup will return north of the border as the Toronto Maple Leafs win the big prize.
Fueled by huge off-season acquisition John Tavares and the youth core, the Toronto Maple Leafs dominated the eastern conference until meeting the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup final. The Sharks made several key acquisitions over the past year, including Erik Karlsson, who also takes home the Norris trophy for the league’s best defenceman.
Other notable awards as determined by the NHL 19 simulation are as follows:
- Erik Karlsson settled down with his new team, leading the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final and claiming his third James Norris Memorial Trophy, as the league’s best defenseman
- Former NHL 18 cover athlete Connor McDavid continued to dominate the league, taking home the Hart Memorial Trophy (league MVP) and Art Ross Trophy (scoring champion)
- The Vegas Golden Knights proved to be more than a one-year-wonder, claiming the Presidents Trophy thanks to a league-high 118 points
- Led by NHL 19 cover star P.K. Subban, the Nashville Predators again made a deep run into the playoffs, before losing in the Western Conference Final to San Jose
- Powered by #1 overall pick and Calder Memorial Trophy winner Rasmus Dahlin, the Buffalo Sabres returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season
Time will tell if these predictions come to fruition, though they certainly seem reasonable. The critical question that remains to be answered, however, is: Will the average Toronto Maple Leafs fan be more or less bearable after finally winning a Stanley Cup?
Published: Oct 2, 2018 02:00 pm