NHL 19 Predicts Stanley Cup Winner, And It's A Surprise

With the 2018-2019 NHL season just about to begin, EA Sports has released the results of its annual simulation of the season within the latest NHL game. The biggest takeaway? The Toronto Maple Leafs will beat the San Jose Sharks to win the 2019 Stanley Cup.

That's a notable prediction given that the Leafs, one of the NHL's original six teams, have not won the Cup since 1967--some 50 years ago. Here are some other notable takeaways from NHL 19's simulation of the upcoming NHL season.

• Leafs center John Tavares wins the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is the MVP for the playoffs.
• Erik Karlsson of the Sharks wins his third James Norris Memorial Trophy for the best defenseman.
• Connor McDavid wins the Hart Memorial Trophy and Art Ross Trophy.
• The Vegas Golden Knights take home the President's Trophy with 118 points.

EA's annual NHL season uses updated player data and factors in a lot of specifics that you'd expect and hope for such as line combinations, as well as hot streaks and injuries.

The prediction has been wrong for many years in a row now; last year, EA's simulation stated that the Winnipeg Jets would defeat the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final, but in reality both teams were eliminated in earlier rounds.

NHL 19 launched in September for PS4 and Xbox One, and GameSpot's 8/10 review praised the game's controls, graphics, and presentation.