So the new ratings have thrown everyone for a loop.

Being very generalized, it seems like basically everyone got a one to two point upgrade in points. I say this jokingly, but it seems true,...81 is the new 79.
Everything i'm looking at seems like 81 is the lowest a "nhl" player seems to be at. I haven't seen a lot of 80 rated players and i'm sure there are 79's who will light it up on lower lines but in a broad scope that's my initial assessment.

Now what I am interested in for this season is the new POT rating.

Seems like it's a lot like the "role" feature of last years game, but more refined. For example it seems like it's not directly tied to a rating but rather what the player can do.

There appear to be a few for nhl guys:
Franchise
Elite
Top six
Top nine
bottom six.

Now all this is fairly self explanatory, but it is VERY important to know where your guys fall. Why? Because without playing the game it looks like this relates to what they can do.

Look at my canes team. I have three elite players and one Franchise player. Can you guess who?

The franchise player is easy-Weber
But would it shock you to know that Suter, KUZNETSOV and mason are my other elite players?

Kuznetsov is only an 82. Zajac is an 86 and is listed as a "top six" forward,...no shit ea.....

On D I have Weber and Suter as a franchise and elite

But the rest of my D are all listed as top 4 D

This includes actual top 4 D like Ericsson and Streit who are 84, but also a guy like B. Smith (who any wings fan is barely a 6th D) and even the 79 rated Vatenen.

It gets weirder, especially with that franchise tag. The only players in the whole game who are "Franchise Players" are Weber, Toews, Datsyuk, crosby, stamkos, AO.

What this means versus an "elite" player is anyone's guess. Seems like elite guys are a wide range of people, but they all seem to be very very good offensively. Lots of people I'd consider "franchises" players like Doughty, Benn etc are "elite" but so are guys like Kuznetsov. Maybe in his case it relates to what he could be, but it could just as easily be his role. Who knows,.....

Anyway, should make trading very interesting.