Great NATE
After years of struggling, Avalanche centre has become one of the best players in the league
When looking at how Nathan MacKinnon suddenly became one of the best players in the National Hockey League, the easy — and some would argue lazy — thing to say is that it’s a classic case of addition by subtraction.
Since Matt Duchene was traded from Colorado to Ottawa, the two teams have moved in opposite directions. And yet, it doesn’t tell the whole story.
While most agree that Duchene’s exit after requesting a trade was likely a relief for everyone involved — “I don’t want to say it was a distraction, but it was a little bit,” Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said — the real turning point occurred some time last season when the team spun its wheels to a league-worst 22 wins.
Afterward, Duchene chose to leave. MacKinnon, who might be the mid-season favourite to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP, chose to lead.
“There was nothing wrong with Dutchy wanting to leave,” MacKinnon said. “It was fair. He’s been here for eight or nine years and it’s not like a crazy breakup or anything like that. But now we have everyone here who wants to be here, which is great. I think we’re on our way.”
The Avalanche, who left Toronto last night on a 10-game winning streak after a 4-2 victory — and in a playoff spot for what might be the first time in four years — are on their way in large part because of MacKinnon.
Though he had 14 points in the first 14 games with Duchene in the lineup — Colorado was 8-6-0 during that span — both he and the team have caught fire since Duchene was shipped out for a package of prospects and draft picks. Duchene, who had 10 points in Colorado in those 14 games, got off to a slow start in Ottawa, where he has six goals and seven assists in 30 games. Heading into Monday’s game, MacKinnon was two points behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for the scoring lead, with 59 points in 45 games. His next goal will tie his career high of 24, set in his rookie season.
Nineteen of MacKinnon’s points had come during the team’s nine-game winning streak, in which MacKinnon had scored three gamewinners and had six multipoint games. He’s also riding a five-game goal streak.
“He wants to be that offensive guy, that go-to guy, and he is,” Landeskog said. “It’s been a lot of fun to watch him.”
Fun is not a word that the Avalanche would have used a year ago. “We were out of it by Christmas by, like, 20 points,” MacKinnon said.
And yet, the losing was somewhat necessary for a player who hadn’t experienced much of it until his second year in the NHL.
Remember, this is a player who is from the same hometown as Sidney Crosby. For most of his life, MacKinnon’s trajectory has mirrored that of the Pittsburgh Penguins star.
“I don’t think it surprises anybody who watched him play in Halifax or who knows him as a minor hockey player in Cole Harbour,” said Cam Russell, GM of the Halifax Mooseheads, where MacKinnon spent two years. “I can remember watching him play in pee-wee and he was always the smallest player on his team, but he always had that explosive power — the ability to take two strides and be at full speed — and was always the best player wherever he’s gone on to play.
“When you have that type of skill level with that competitive edge, you’ve got a superstar.”
As an 11-year-old in Cole Harbour, N.S., MacKinnon scored 200 points in 50 games. He went to Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school, which Crosby also attended, and put up ridiculous numbers. He won a Memorial Cup in Halifax, was drafted first overall and started his NHL career with a Calder Trophy-winning 63 points.
“Even in my first year in the league, we clinched with like 10 games left in the season and won our division,” MacKinnon said. “You start to think the game’s easy. You’re just used to it.”
It wasn’t. The Avalanche, who qualified for the playoffs despite underlying numbers that suggested they had played over their heads, crashed back down to earth. MacKinnon’s production also took a hit. He followed up his rookie year with just 38 points in 64 games and stalled around the 50-point mark in the next two seasons.
“Yeah, 50 points a year wasn’t really my goal,” MacKinnon said. “It’s hard. I’m not going to lie to you. Being in last place, you have no chance at making the playoffs. There’s no hope. If we go on a run,
we’re still going to be 20 (points) out instead of 40, so there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. Like I said, you try to get better and try to work on yourself, but you’re waiting until next season.”
Finally, it seems the wait is over. MacKinnon, who has always been known for his powerfully explosive stride, has found another gear this year. Oddly, it has come from taking his foot off the gas at times.
“A lot of times I just tried to go full speed all the time,” MacKinnon said. “But you can’t be a one-speed guy. You’re way too predictable when you’re like that. I’m trying to mix it up.”
In doing so, the 22-yearold might have learned something about himself.
“Obviously, I’d like to have four Cups by now in my first four years, but I don’t,” MacKinnon said. “But it makes you appreciate it. Last year I would have given anything to be in the mix, so we’re not going to take this lightly.”