With a new generation of consoles coming out, a familiar face is returning to the cover of NHL 21, the Great 8, Alex Ovechkin. This is the second time Ovechkin will be featured on the cover of NHL, the first being over a decade ago in NHL 09.
Before Ovechkin was announced to be on the cover, there was tons of speculation that a young star like Nathan Mackinnon, David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl or Artemi Panarin would be on the cover. However, EA made an interesting decision in going with a veteran in Ovechkin rather than a young player.
Regardless of who was chosen to be on the cover athlete of NHL 21, the game is set with new moves such as a puck flip, Kucherov’s no-move and a lacrosse shot. There is also rumored to be an improved Be-a-Pro mode including a storyline.Â