Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar have led the Avalanche for more than a half-decade. For both superstars, getting off to a hot start is not something new. But there are some differences in their production this year.
I figured that the 20-game mark would be a good spot to look back at how they’ve done so far. Not just this season, but in each of the last five years, starting with the 2021-22 Stanley Cup championship year.
Nathan MacKinnon
2025-26: 16 goals | 20 assists | 36 points | +22 | 9 PP points
2024-25: 7 goals | 27 assists | 34 points | +2 | 13 PP points
2023-24: 7 goals | 19 assists | 26 points | +6 | 9 PP points
2022-23: 6 goals | 22 assists | 28 points | +9 | 10 PP points
2021-22: 1 goal | 12 assists | 13 points | -1 | 3 PP points | (10 GP. Missed 10 to injury)
Cale Makar
2025-26: 8 goals | 20 assists | 28 points | +20 | 7 PP points
2024-25: 8 goals | 20 assists | 28 points | -4 | 13 PP points
2023-24: 5 goals | 25 assists | 30 points | +18 | 10 PP points
2022-23: 6 goals | 15 assists | 21 points | +3 | 13 PP points
2021-22: 10 goals | 11 assists | 21 points | +1 | 8 PP points | (18 GP. Missed 2 to injury)
There are a few things that stand out to me. For starters, before this season, MacKinnon’s two worst starts since the COVID shortened seasons were the two biggest of his career.
His slowest start, when appearing in all 20 games, was 2023-24. He had just 26 points in 20 games. Somehow, this is the same year he won the Hart Trophy with 140 points. That means MacKinnon had 114 points in the remaining 62 games the rest of the way.
His slowest start as a whole ended up being the year the Avs won th Stanley Cup. MacKinnon missed 10 of the first 20 games with an injury. By the time the season was a quarter of the way through, Colorado’s No. 1 superstar center had just one goal. He was a minus at even strength, and he was barely a factor on the power play.
This is the same season that Makar exploded for 10 goals in 20 games. And Nazem Kadri was leading the team with 30 points at the 20-game mark.
It’s also crazy to see just how many goals MacKinnon has scored this year. Without Mikko Rantanen around to start the year, I had thought Valeri Nichushkin would benefit most and pick up the goals slack. But Nichushkin wasn’t playing on the top line before suffering an injury. MacKinnon himself is filling in the goal-scoring void, along with linemate Martin Necas.
For Makar, the consistency he has each season from opening puck drop is quite fascinating. Makar’s numbers this year match where he was last season, with the most significant difference being in five-on-five production.
Last year, Colorado’s power play was great to start the season, and Makar was a big part of that. He had 13 of his 28 points on the man advantage. This season, that number is down to seven. And more surprisingly, Makar, who scored 12 PP goals last year, has yet to score on the PP this year.
Both Makar and MacKinnon’s plus/minus reflect the struggling power play. The production is coming at even strength, which has them at +22 and +20, respectively, through the first 20 games.
It’ll be cool to see what the next five years look like for both of them. But right now, let’s sit back and enjoy what could be another historic season for the Avalanche, led by Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and Conn Smythe winner, as well as a Hart Trophy winner in MacKinnon, as the duo eyes their second Stanley Cup championship.
