NHL 22 best players for Franchise Mode – elite young talents to trade for

Here’s the best young players to secure, regardless of your team.

The great thing about EA NHL video games is that you get to set the exact nature and level of challenge for yourself. It’s perfectly possible to lower the difficulty, take control of a weak team in Franchise Modes, proceed without making any staff changes and 82 games later – say hello to the Stanley Cup, Arizona. 

But at higher difficulties, you really do feel the difference between a decent player and a great one. Your passing needs to be precise, so you appreciate an elite passer who puts it exactly where you aim. Your defense can’t slip up, and you can feel a great D-man’s defensive awareness keeping you in the game. Goals need to be scored, snipers find the cracks to put the puck in. 

And that makes Franchise Mode such a fascinating long-term activity. With a few trades or a handful of draft picks that work out, you can give yourself the tools on the ice to achieve what you couldn’t before. Results start to go your way. You see your team rising through the division standings. You’re doing it!

And then those star players you worked so hard to acquire get placed on the IR list. Oh well – back to the trade menu. Here are the best young players to secure, regardless of your team.