The Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are two of the best players in the NHL right now. Most people, myself included, would go so far as to say they're already two of the greatest players of all-time. They've been smashing through milestones and records and climbing all-time leaderboards pretty regularly for these last couple of years.
Both players have opportunities this postseason to dazzle us all again; they each have a number of possible situations to hit a milestone or climb up the leaderboards. Some of these are a stretch to accomplish this year, but not out of the realm of possibility.
Nathan MacKinnon
Nate the Great's run for his first ever Art Ross trophy seems to be at an end, as he's likely to sit the last few games of the season with a minor injury. I'm sure MacKinnon would love to add an Art Ross to his trophy case, but it seems clear to me that he cares more about securing a second Stanley Cup. However, he still has a chance to bolster his already incredible resume in this year's playoffs.
MacKinnon has a chance to reach 50 goals this year. He currently sits at 48, so it's more likely he surpasses the 50 goal mark than not. In addition to this, six goals would push him into the top 50 all-time. If he hits 11 goals, he'll pass Peter Forsberg for second in Avalanche history. And with 12 more games played he'll reach 100 playoff games played.
Getting a little bit further into the deeper stats, just six goals at even strength puts him at 40, which is just shy of the top 25 all-time. Here he would then be tied with players like Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman, and Mario Lemieux. This also ties him with Peter Forsberg for second all-time in Avalanche history. A single goal on the powerplay gives sole possession of second place in Avs history as well.
Another possible set of milestones comes around his assists total. If MacKinnon can manage to rack up 13 apples, he would just crack the top 50 all-time at 79 points. Just two more assists will put him at third all-time on the Avalanche leaderboard, passing our old friend Mikko Rantanen.
While he's not quite close enough to reach Joe Sakic's all-time records, I think with a deep playoff run, MacKinnon can continue to make waves through the NHL and Avalanche record books, and he's not alone.
Cale Makar
What will King Cale do after being the first player in 16 years to hit the 30 goal mark in the regular season? The leading favorite for the Norris trophy can also improve his place in history with a strong showing this postseason.
Makar already owns most of the all-time Avalanche records for defensemen, so there's not much in that department to talk about. He's tied with Devon Toews in plus-minus, one behind Sandis Ozolinsh for most powerplay goals all-time, and is only ten games played behind Ozolinsh for third in Avalanche history. He is at the top of most everything else, whether alone or tied with other Avs greats.
20 points is the goal for Makar this postseason. He'll hit the 100 point mark for his career In the playoffs. This puts him in the top 15 all-time. If he manages to reach 21 points he'll tie Rantanen for 4th in Avalanche history, as well. While 20 points is a lofty playoff goal, especially for a defenseman, it's definitely an achievable goal for Cale Makar. He has done it before. His Conn Smythe winning campaign in 2022 was a 29-point performance.
One that we should watch out for this playoffs is for Makar to score nine goals. Nine is a lot for defensemen, but Makar did score eight during the 2022 Stanley Cup run. These nine goals would place him ninth all-time for defensemen. For a defenseman who just broke 30 goals in a season, this one is definitely possible.
As it is with MacKinnon, another deep playoff run will bring us a plethora of achievements for Makar. These two have already shown us greatness and hopefully we'll see a lot more this year on their quest for the Cup.