AN MVP? MACKINNON JOINS CONVERSATION
Avs center enjoys banner season
As the NHL’s leading scorer since Nov. 1, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon has joined the Hart Trophy conversation as an MVP candidate. Question is, did the Nov. 5 trade of disgruntled Avs center Matt Duchene pry open a door for MacKinnon to reach his potential?
“He’s destined to be an elite player in this league,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday of MacKinnon. “Whether Matt was here or not, I think that was going to happen. Certainly, now, there’s no doubt with our team about him — he knows exactly where he stands and is embracing the challenge.”
MacKinnon, who produced his 15th multiple-point game Tuesday night to climb to fifth among NHL scorers, began to take off offensively just before Duchene was traded to Otta- wa in a three-team deal that brought seven players to Colorado. In the three games before Duchene was dealt, MacKinnon combined for seven points (two goals). And on the night the trade was finalized, MacKinnon registered a goal, an assist and a season-high seven shots against the New York Islanders.
MacKinnon finished November with 20 points (five goals) in 12 games to become the first Avalanche player selected as the NHL’s No. 1 star of the month. He was nearly as good in December, with 18 points (eight goals) in 12 games.
MacKinnon, however, said his career-best season started to come to life Oct. 28 against Chicago, when he had two goals and three points in the Avs’ 6-3 win at home.
“Just before he got traded is when I started playing my
best,” MacKinnon said of Duchene. “That Chicago game at home around Halloween really got me going, and then Carolina at home (two assists), and even the Islanders game — we thought we played really well and he got traded that night. If you talk to the coaches they’ll say the same thing — I was on my way before he got traded. It’s just kind of a coincidence, I think.”
Duchene, 26, was a Canadian gold medalist at the Olympics, the World Championship and the World Cup of Hockey. But he wasn’t the Avalanche’s No. 1 center for much of the past three years, often playing right wing on MacKinnon’s line.
“Dutchy’s a good player. There’s no doubt about that,” MacKinnon said. “There’s a little more on my shoulders now, but with a captain like Gabe (Landeskog), the way Mikko (Rantanen) is playing and the depth that we have, it doesn’t feel like much.”
Bednar said it’s clear who the offense runs through.
“There’s certainly a little changing of the guard there, where Nate now is definitely our offensive go-to guy, the No. 1 center. His power-play unit is going out if they’re rested and ready to go,” Bednar said. “I think he is embracing that. I think he takes a lot of pride in that. I think his success was going to come either way, because of his work ethic in the offseason and how he trains. He’s the first one on the ice every day, working on his game, along with his God-given abilities. He wants to be the best in the world. He’s got a deep desire to be an elite player in this league and be a difference-maker for this team.”
The Avs have had two Hart Trophy winners as league MVP: Joe Sakic in 2001 and Peter Forsberg in 2003.