We have reached the halfway point of the season, and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche is running away with the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP.
MacKinnon has been trying to prove that he probably should have won the Hart Trophy already in his career.
Nathan MacKinnon is proving why he should have won the Hart Trophy already in his career. He fell short in the 2017-18 season, finishing as the runner-up to Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils. Then, in the 2020-21 season, MacKinnon fell short once again. This time, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews stood in his way.
However, the 2023-24 season feels like the year Nathan MacKinnon will break through. MacKinnon has a 23-game point streak to begin the season on home ice. Not to mention, he is always on the scoresheet for the Avalanche. Take, for example, the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, January 13th.
The Avalanche were down 3-0 after one period of play. However, from the second period, the Avalanche dominated play. And Nathan MacKinnon was right in the middle of the action. The Halifax Moosehead connection got things going for the Avalanche as MacKinnon assisted Jonathan Drouin’s 10th goal on the power play.
That goal sparked the Avalanche. “Nate the Great” was all over the ice for the Avalanche. He goes to a different level when he is out on the ice, as Maple Leafs Head Coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game.
“When MacKinnon’s line gets out there with (Cale) Makar and (Devon) Toews, the calibre of play is not the NHL. That’s another league. Right,” Keefe said post-game.
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In 43 games this season, MacKinnon has 69 points (23 goals and 46 assists). That is 14 points better than the next closest player, Mikko Rantanen. MacKinnon is on a seven-game point streak, recording 13 points over those seven games. Every time his team needs a big goal there he is.
With three minutes left in regulation, MacKinnon received a pass from Mikko Rantanen and beat Martin Jones to give the Avalanche a 4-3 lead. MacKinnon finished with two points on the night, including the game-winning goal.
Nathan MacKinnon is so cool, man pic.twitter.com/TJSRkI7qxZ
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) January 14, 2024
Through 43 games this season, MacKinnon averages 1.6 points per game and is only getting better. Dating back to November 20th, he has recorded 49 points over 27 games. That is 1.81 points per game. He truly is on another level right now.
Think about this: after winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2014, he took a step back before getting to the MVP level we know him to be at today. It helps when you train with arguably the best player in the league, Sidney Crosby.
The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia boys are taking the league by storm. Who could forget Nathan MacKinnon‘s quotes before winning the Stanley Cup in 2022?
“I’m going into my ninth year next year, and I haven’t won shit. So, I’m just definitely motivated, and it just sucks losing four (games) in a row to a team,” MacKinnon said after the Avalanche’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021.
Well he has taken that quote to heart regarding the Hart Trophy. MacKinnon wants it badly. The Avalanche are sitting, and most experts feel Colorado had a chance to win the Stanley Cup this season. However, without the play of Nathan MacKinnon, the Avalanche might not be in the position they are in.
Again, the definition of being an MVP is the “most valuable player to his team.” MacKinnon is proving why he is precisely that with the Colorado Avalanche.
There is still competition from Vancouver Canucks players Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. Not to mention, McDavid is entering his name in the conversation again, along with Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. And if Crosby’s Penguins team gets into the playoffs, you know he will also be in the mix.
However, this is Nathan MacKinnon’s trophy to lose. You can’t deny what he is doing. He can’t be stopped.