Is it too late for MacKinnon to jump into the MVP race?
Kiz: As everyone knows, I’m a lover not a fighter. But I will drop the gloves with any knucklehead who tries to tell me Avs center Nathan MacKinnon isn’t the best hockey player in the world. Anyone who saw Mack’s spectacular goal after an end-to-end rush against Las Vegas knows he’s the undisputed No. 1. Oh … wait. That amazing play happened after midnight on the East Coast, due to the Lake Tahoe sun delay. So my question: After missing time due to injury, is it too late for MacKinnon to get back in the MVP conversation and win the Hart Trophy during this compressed NHL season?
Chambers: COVID probably put MacKinnon back into the MVP race. After he suffered that mysterious injury Jan. 31 at Minnesota when he looked fine on his last shift of the second period but didn’t come out for the third, MacKinnon was labeled “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. But just one game later, the Avalanche was shut down due to COVID protocol, allowing MacKinnon to get healthy while the team was off. He was fortunate to miss just one game.
Kiz: In a world of look-at-me athletes, MacKinnon would rather go hang at a peaceful lake far away from the madding crowd. He is the definition of no fuss. But in a sport that often gets ignored throughout much of the United States unless an outdoor game grabs headlines (for better or worse), I do wish the NHL could find a way to raise the profile of its stars. There should be a greater appreciation of MacK in this country, don’t you think? While MacKinnon doesn’t seek attention, I suspect the competitor inside him is itching to be recognized as the MVP.
Chambers: He’s finished second in the Hart Trophy twice now, so yeah, there has to be some deep hunger to finally win the thing. For those eastern folks who didn’t stay up past midnight to see MacKinnon’s highlight-reel goal and two assists in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Vegas, perhaps they’ll see the clip on mic-ed up Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who said “Oh boy,” when MacKinnon drove in on him through the neutral zone before unleashing that shot to give Colorado a 2-1 lead. From the bench after the goal, Pietrangelo told a teammate, “There’s not much we can do there.” That’s one of the NHL’s premier D-man talking about an often-indefensible player.
Kiz: In a city blessed by the talent of Nikola Jokic, Von Viller and until recently Nolan Arenado, there’s no question in my mind MacKinnon is the top dog among current Denver athletes. Although he will make more magic during this regular season, there are simply too many big-name NHL players too far ahead of MacKinnon among the league’s points leaders to be honored as MVP in 2021. But here’s my hunch: After raising the Stanley Cup to celebrate a glorious playoff run, MacK would much prefer to win the Conn Smythe than the Hart.
Chambers: Definitely, the Cup is the hardware MacKinnon wants most. But when it’s all said and done, MacKinnon will probably still be a Hart Trophy finalist if he remains healthy. While Nate is tied for 18th in NHL scoring (13 games), he’s tied for 10th in points-per-game (1.38). The Avs, because of COVID, have played six fewer games than Edmonton, which has NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid (37 points) and fellow Oilers star Leon Draisaitl (30), and five fewer than Toronto, which has the league’s other top scorers in Mitch Marner (30) and Auston Matthews (29). MacKinnon is more than capable of catching those players for the Canadian teams if he can stay healthy.