The 2021 NHL Playoffs recently opened on the ice, with 16 teams vying for the Stanley Cup Championship. Among the competitors is NHL 21 cover star Alex Ovechkin, whose Washington Capitals are champions within the past several years. Most likely, one of the competing teams in this year’s bracket includes the NHL 22 cover athlete, who has yet to be revealed.
That said, there’s a lot still to be revealed about the next installment in EA Sports’ hockey franchise, including the trailer, pre-order details, and release date. We’ve got the latest cover and release predictions for this year’s title below ahead of the upcoming announcements.
Who will be the NHL 22 cover athlete this year?
As mentioned, NHL 21 featured Alex Ovechkin, who is amongst this year’s featured stars in the playoffs. Ovechkin’s cover star status obviously didn’t come with any curse. He went on to play in 45 of 56 games, scored 24 goals, and assisted on 18 others. That helped the Capitals achieved a 36-15-5 and first place in the NHL East for the playoffs. Even though Ovechkin is a huge boost on the ice for his team, EA has predicted another team to win the Stanley Cup, though.
Before Ovechkin, the covers featured Auston Matthews, P.K. Subban, Connor McDavid, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Now, it’s time to start looking towards the next game’s cover star.
One strong candidate for NHL 22 cover athlete is Edmonton’s Leon Draisatl. The Oilers center had a stellar season in which he played in all 56 games tallying 31 goals and 53 assists. His total of 84 points was second to only Conor McDavid. Draisatl’s Oilers are now battling the Winnipeg Jets in a first-round playoffs matchup.
Should they go on a run, it brings the spotlight. Draisatl has never been on EA’s cover and seems destined for that, based on Matthews’ and McDavid’s recent covers.
Nathan McKinnon could be another solid choice based on popularity and stats. The two-time All-Star racked up 20 goals and 45 assists in 48 games during the regular season. His Colorado Avalanche was the President’s Trophy team with the best overall NHL record this past season.
As of this report, the Oilers center is looking to lead his team into the next round of the playoffs as they battle the St. Louis Blues. At age 25, he seems a stellar choice as NHL 22 cover athlete.
McKinnon was amongst the top 10 selling NHL jerseys earlier this year, per Trib Live’s report. That top 10 list may hold another popular star who could grace the cover, David Pastrnak or Elias Pettersson. Of note, Auston Matthews topped all players.
Other considerations seem to include Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Drew Doughty, and Hendrik Lundqvist. They’ve enjoyed impressive careers over many seasons and seem worthy, but they may have turned down the offer in the past.
When is the new EA hockey game’s release date?
Back on August 24, 2020, we saw the official NHL 21 announcement trailer arrive (below). That’s when Alex Ovechkin was presented as the game’s cover star. The game featured several editions, including a Great Eight Edition, and had an official release date of October 16, 2020. It was a later release date than usual due to development delay issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The title before it, NHL 20, came out on Friday, September 13, 2019, while NHL 19 launched on Friday, September 14, 2018. NHL 18’s release date was on September 15, 2017, and NHL 17 was September 13 in North American (Sept. 15 for Europe).
Based on those dates, and barring any delays, we’d expect to see NHL 22 release date around that same mid-September release timeframe. That gives us a speculative date for EA releasing the game on September 10 at earliest, and maybe September 17 at the latest.
By the way, most fans are fully expecting this latest installment in the EA Sports hockey franchise will have versions available specifically for the next-gen consoles. NHL 21 was one of the EA games that came to market without a next-gen version, while Madden 21 and FIFA 21 had them. Instead, gamers had to settle for playing the game on PS5 or Xbox One using “forward compatibility.”
We expect to see more details on the game in the coming weeks since the EA Play Live event is scheduled for July 22, 2021. That could give us a teaser or full trailer, a release date, and maybe the NHL 22 cover athlete reveal.
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