MacKinnon Stays in God Mode
Staying in our rap persona: Will the real Nathan MacKinnon please stand up?
We all watched the Colorado Avalanche’s only first-overall draft pick win the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year and then steadily become an average NHL first-liner for the next three seasons — 38 points, 52 points, 53 points. That’s not really team-leading stats.
Then, all of a sudden, Nathan MacKinnon kicked his play into a whole new mode — god mode — in his fifth NHL year. He earned 39 goals and 58 assists for 97 points. He was one of the, if not the, most electric players on ice this year. He’s even a heavy favorite for the Hart Trophy and a finalist for the Lindsay Award.
So, is Nathan MacKinnon an average first-liner, a hockey god, or something in between? Well, if the Avalanche want to win the Stanley Cup, MacKinnon needs to stay in god mode.
Modern-day Stanley Cup champions have to have a stellar star, an Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby. Nate is what we’ve got, and he’s got to continue to be an elite forward if the Avs want to win a Cup.