Mile High Sticking
Fansided

Nathan MacKinnon not No. 1 on NHL Network Top-10 centers list

By Graham Tiedtke

DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 29: Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the Stanley Cup after leading his team on to the field before the Colorado Rockies play the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on June 29, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 29: Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche lifts the Stanley Cup after leading his team on to the field before the Colorado Rockies play the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on June 29, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

As Colorado Avalanche fans, we know the worth of star center iceman Nathan MacKinnon. He’s a fast skater who can crash the net any time he pleases. MacKinnon was second on the team in goal scoring with 42 and first on the team with 69 assists.

It is no surprise that MacKinnon is known league-wide. He’s never going to be left off of lists in terms of best scorers or shooters. It’s truly a privilege to have him on the Avalanche as a former first-overall draft pick.

Take this into account: per JFreshHockey on Twitter, MacKinnon was the best overall player at creating scoring opportunities:

At the end of the day, nobody truly needs proof through these kinds of stats. That being said, it really puts into perspective how good MacKinnon is overall and how good he was last season.

Despite a down year for the Colorado Avalanche, MacKinnon was a bright spot on the team. As shown above, he set career highs in three categories. It was a surprising year for that to happen, especially given the fact that he missed 11 games. He injured his hip during a hit he took against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 5th, 2022.

The fact that he put up the numbers that he did while missing that amount of time doesn’t guarantee he’ll be even better during the 2023-24 season, but it certainly makes it hard to believe that he can’t/won’t do it again, or at least come close. MacKinnon is a superstar and a top-2 player on the team. As long as he is on the ice, the Colorado Avalanche always have a chance of winning hockey games.

While Nathan MacKinnon did not make the number 1 spot on this list, it isn’t because he got snubbed. Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid is a well-deserving player for the top spot on this list. He had 64 goals and 89 assists and was able to play all 82 games of the 2022-23 season. Had MacKinnon played all 82 games, I’m sure that his stats would be a lot closer to that of McDavid’s.

Note: Mile High Sticking is looking for dedicated contributors who are passionate about the team. If you are interested in writing for us, please send in an application to http://fansided.com/join.

Home/All-Time Lists