Nathan MacKinnon is one-upping himself this season.
In his 13th NHL season, the 30-year-old Colorado Avalanche center is off the best start of his career with 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 24 games.
MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals and points and is tied for second in assists. He is NHL.com’s favorite at the quarter-mark of the season to win the Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player to his team, earning 14 out of a possible 16 first-place votes and finishing with 70 voting points, 30 more than anyone else.
“He’s consistent with everything he does all the time, professionally at least,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I think those habits and that discipline leads to consistency.”
MacKinnon won the Hart Trophy in 2023-24. He has never won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer, finishing second to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov the past two seasons.
Maybe this is the season he gets both, especially if the Avalanche maintain their status as the League’s best team.
They are 17-1-6 through the first 24 games, leading the NHL in wins and points (40).
“I see a lot of similarities in everything he’s doing on the offensive side of it, but to this point in the season it’s the best checking year he’s had in his career,” Bednar said of MacKinnon. “I believe the better you check the more chances you’re going to get. You’re playing with the puck more. I think it’s him, it’s our team all kind of with that same mentality so it’s leading to a lot of offense. And when you get a guy like Nate with the ability that he has with the puck on his stick more often good things are going to happen.”
