EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published on September 4.
EA Sports' latest installment in their hockey franchise, NHL 27, is predicting the Utah Mammoth will win the Stanley Cup in 2026-27.
According to an in-game season simulation conducted by The Hockey News, Utah will defeat the New York Islanders in a seven-game series to capture the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
This means Pete DeBoer would be handed another heartbreaking loss on the biggest stage. In real life, DeBoer previously reached the Stanley Cup Final as head coach of the New Jersey Devils in 2012, only to fall to the Los Angeles Kings.
This time, he would come up short with the Islanders.
Clayton Keller led the way for Utah and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after recording 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points in 26 postseason games.
Dylan Guenther was right behind him, finishing the simulated playoff run with 10 goals and 10 assists in 26 games. Vincent Trocheck, who was acquired by the Mammoth during the off-season, also made a significant impact, tallying seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 26 games.
Karel Vejmelka could have easily taken home the Conn Smythe himself.
The Utah goaltender posted a spectacular 15-4-4 record during the post-season, along with a 2.23 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and two shutouts.
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While the Mammoth ultimately lifted the Stanley Cup, the Islanders received a huge contribution from an unexpected source.
Mikael Granlund, who was traded by the Anaheim Ducks to New York in the simulation, led the Islanders offensively with six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 23 playoff games.
As for the individual awards, Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon continued his reign atop the NHL's scoring hierarchy.
MacKinnon captured his second consecutive Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy after scoring 55 goals during the regular season. He added 61 assists for 116 points in 83 games. The 116-point campaign was also enough for MacKinnon to claim his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer.
Colorado wasn't done collecting awards, either.
Cale Makar finished his final season before his new eight-year, $163.2-million extension kicks in with his third Norris Trophy. Makar recorded 12 goals and 84 assists for 96 points, narrowly missing out on a 100-point season.
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Connor McDavid was a good sport as he picked up the Lady Byng Trophy. The Edmonton Oilers superstar had a down year by his standards, but plenty of players would love to have his version of a slump.
McDavid finished the regular season with 40 goals and 64 assists for 104 points. He also added eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 14 playoff games, although the Oilers came up short once again.
Philadelphia Flyers youngster Porter Martone won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie, while 37-year-old Jacob Markstrom kicked off his tenure with the Florida Panthers by winning the Vezina Trophy.
For the second straight season, there were two winners of the William M. Jennings Trophy, and both came from the Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Dennis Hildeby.
Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov won the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL's most outstanding player, earning the honor for the second time in the last three seasons.
Nashville Predators defenseman Brady Skjei was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for exemplifying the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Lane Lambert won the Jack Adams Award as the head coach judged to have contributed the most to his team's success, leading the Seattle Kraken back to the playoffs in this simulation.
At 39 years old, Sidney Crosby proved he can still play elite two-way hockey, winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Crosby posted a 40-goal campaign with 56 assists for 96 points.
While the individual awards are impressive, none would be more surprising than the one Utah ultimately took home.
If NHL 27's simulation is any indication, the 2026-27 season could be one for the history books — with the Utah Mammoth sitting at the center of the biggest surprise of them all.
P.S. This game was horrific.
