The Best hockey video game yet!
One thing I found that needs to be improved is the offside function, it functions ok for now, but I'm noticing that sometimes your teammates, weather they be from BAP or Dynasty or quick play, they sometimes go offside at inopportune times, and while this happens in the real AHL and NHL, it shouldn't happen at this regularity. Hitting has also been improved from previous releases in the NHL series, it's now less of a hitting feast and now more along the boards and scrums, a definite improvement that could use a little tweaking, like 3+ players digging for the puck along the boards. Though one problem I have is, that sometimes hit detection can be rather lousy and big hitters such as Mike Komisarek or Dion Phaneuf won't deliver the big open ice hits they are known for, now this isn't a huge issue, it's more of a little nagging annoyance for me. Overall EA has tightened up gameplay, made improvements everywhere and delivered a hockey experience I have longed for since 1999's NHL 2000. Only some little things are needed to improve this game gameplay wise.
However, I am now going to talk about an area of the game that I feel is still rather lacking, and that 2K Sports has always had the upper hand in, and that is Dynasty/franchise mode. Some things that I feel would improve Dynasty is, contract negotiations throughout the year, just like NHL 2K8. All 7 rounds of the draft, not just the first 5 rounds, deeper contract negotiations, ESPN broadcasts of what's going on in the Dynasty, this would really be fun in my opinion as it would serve as a way for you as the GM to find out about potential trades so you can get in on the deals if it's a player you want. Deeper scouting reports, and not just for players in the draft but players around the NHL, the ability to hire and fire your coaching staff, scouting staff etc.
And finally, one last thing that I would love to see in this near to perfect game is custom soundtracks and trophies for the PS3.