93 MS Modano Review

I'll preface this by laying my bias on the table.

I'm a big Modano fan. I liked him irl when he was playing, and I've loved his cards ever since I first pulled him in NHL 15. So not only was I predisposed to liking him, I've also basically had three years experience using him, so there was no getting used to him for me, I knew what I was getting before I even bought him.

As of my writing this there are 6 of him on the AH (PS4) with the cheapest being 250k (I bought mine at closer to 150k, can't remember exact amount but it was a steal when I bought him).

On to the reviewing.

Modano plays RW on a line with Sullivan (94) and MOV Duchene (90). Synergies active on his card are (DR, CG, 1T, TW, T).

#Skating: 9/10

MS Modano is a great skater. He's quick to accelerate and he has fantastic top end speed. His endurance is pretty good as I'll often notice he's still on the ice while the rest of his line has changed and he'll still occasionally jump into the play and make something happen a good 30 seconds after his shift should have ended.

You have to keep in mind that he's a 6'3" player and 212 lbs, so while he's a fantastic skater, he won't go as fast as some of the little guys (for reference I would put MOV Duchene and Sullivan as 10/10 skaters). One advantage his size will give you, however is an ability to take a few bumps. His balance is probably the best on my team, and it's extremely rare that a knock will completely take him out of the play.

#Shooting: 9/10

MS Modano can flat out snipe. He's the most deadly wristing it after cutting in from his off wing, but he'll reliably put away one timers without too much trouble as well (for reference I find MOV Duchene can wrist it as well, but tends to whiff on a lot of one-timers for me). I find his slapper rating isn't very accurate (he has 92 slap shot accuracy and 92 slap shot power, I would rate this in the mid to high 80's) but I don't slap much with him because he's got that great release with the wrister. His shot is a touch below MOV Kessel and 96 Bure as he can have the tendency to hit a few posts, but if you get him open in the slot and aim it properly, he's going to light the lamp.

#Hands: 8/10

His hands are far from bad, but they don't quite live up to the stats his profile says he has. He can pull off all the dekes effortlessly, but they aren't as fast as you'd' like them to be. His passing is great, but not amazing. Sometimes he can impress you with a seam pass through 3 guys that finds his man, and other times you feel like you're simply better off either passing to someone that's wide open, or just putting it on net. On his line he was definitely the weakest of the three in this department so I just put him on finishing duties, and didn't try to force him setting up plays. He gets most of his assists from guys picking up the rebounds from low hard wristers put on net.

#Checking 8.5/10

In this area MS Modano goes the opposite direction from his hands stats. I feel like his physicality is severely underrated based on his profile stats. His ability to lay the body feels much higher than 85, and his strength definitely feels higher than 82. If a player is smaller or the same size as MS Modano, he can crush them. Some of the most devastating hits I've thrown this year have been from utilizing MS Modano's great speed and momentum and turning it into a crushing hit. He won't nail guys like Thornton, Byfuglien, and Lindros but if you take a run at someone a notch below 'Giant' status, he can knock 'em out of the play. His DR synergy does give a +3 boost to body checking and balance and I suspect this is playing into his ability to hit above his stat rating.

#Defense: 8.5/10

His card says he's a two way player and it doesn't lie. His pokes are among the best I've used this year, and he can pull out clutch stick lifts without taking penalties. He has fantastic discipline and can use his speed and pokecheck abilities to catch up to breaking players and knock the puck to safety without taking a penalty or giving up a penalty shot. His defensive awareness stat is on full display every time the CPU takes control of him and puts him in great position to break up plays. In his own zone he'll intercept any pass that comes near him. As good as he is, I gave him a slight knock because I don't find him good at center. His faceoff rating of 80 feels generous (he feels closer to a 75) and he'll lose most of the time against any opponent who knows what they're doing. I suspect his poor faceoff abilities are further compounded by his lower strength rating. I didn't feel like his strength rating hurt his ability to shoot or throw hits, but I do feel it can cause him to consistently get out-muscled in the faceoff circle.

#Miscellaneous

His card on its own will bring you halfway to lighting up the Cycle Game synergy, which ranks this year as one of my favourites, right behind Team Wheel.

In a random sample size of 15 games he got 9 goals and 4 assists for 13 points. All games were Div 1 online games.

#Closing His abilities in both ends of the rink make him such a valuable player. He'll fit in any stacked team in a defensive role that chips in offensively, or you can build your team around him and use him as your go to scorer that can still shut guys down. He's got great skating and shooting, and is one of the most well rounded players I've used all year. I've loved him every year before this year, and his latest NHL HUT incarnation certainly didn't let me down at all.