3 players who could end Montreal Canadiens NHL Video Game cover drought

The most historic hockey team in the world has never had someone featured on the cover of an EA Sports NHL video game. It seems hard to believe that it has never happened, especially considering that Auston Matthews has been on the cover twice since 2020. The company doesn't feature goalies on their cover often, but it seems like a miss not to switch it up at some point and put Carey Price on the cover at his peak.

To be fair, the Canadiens haven't had many marketable players on their rosters over the last couple of decades. Alex Kovalev was flashy enough, but he may not have been open to everything that comes with being a cover athlete. PK Subban was probably the player destined to be the first Canadien on the cover, but he didn't get the honor until NHL 19 when he was with the Nashville Predators.

However, the popular video game company won't be able to ignore the franchise for much longer. The Canadiens are a growing force in the NHL and could be one of the top teams in a few years. They'll also have some marketable stars to put on the cover, and we could see that happen very soon.

Cole Caufield

The Canadian company has loved to feature American stars on the cover of their video game franchise. The move makes sense, as Canadians will buy the game no matter who is on the cover, while putting a big-time American player on the cover may get more interest south of the border. Auston Matthews was on the cover of NHL 20 and NHL 22, Trevor Zegras in NHL 23, and all three Hughes brothers will be on the cover of the next edition of NHL 25.

Is Cole Caufield the next logical choice to be an American on the cover? If he can grow his game to be a 40 or 50-goal scorer, he will become a superstar in Montreal and become one globally. Caufield also feels like a video game player with his lethal shot, marketable size, and personality. Caufield may be one of the first choices if the EA Sports franchise releases some new feature with player builds or shooting mechanics.

Patrik Laine

Speaking of a perfect player to market a new shooting mechanic, Patrik Laine may be the option. Laine is also known as an avid video game player, so he may have plenty of interest in being a cover athlete for this game. It'd be the perfect comeback story for Laine after the last couple of seasons. He finally finds a home where he is comfortable, regains his form, scores 40 goals again, and EA Sports honors him with a spot on the NHL 26 or NHL 27 cover.

Sidenote: as I was writing this section about Laine, something popped into my head that made even more sense. Laine is more of an arcade-type gamer, known for his love of Fortnite. There was a recent announcement that Pablo Sanchez and the Backyard Sports gang are returning to remake some of the old games. You may remember playing with a child version of Joe Thornton or Joe Sakic as a kid. For some reason, I can picture Laine getting involved in that endeavor if they partner with the NHL again and being one of the playable characters in the game. If it isn't the EA Sports franchise, my bold prediction is he will feature in the Backyard Sports franchise.

Ivan Demidov

The obvious choice and one that probably should have been higher on the list. EA Sports likely won't put a Russian player on the cover until the real-world issues simmer. However, Demidov could be a candidate to get the honor later in his career if he comes to North America and becomes a superstar. EA Sports hasn't been afraid to put a Russian player on their cover in the past, as Alexander Ovechkin (NHL 21) and Vladimir Tarasenko (NHL 17) have been recent recipients. It was Ovechkin's second time on the cover after he also made it in NHL 07.