3 players the Colorado Avalanche can’t afford to lose in 2024-25

1. Nathan MacKinnon

The man, the myth, the legend, Nathan MacKinnon is the number one player that the Colorado Avalanche cannot afford to lose for very many games in 2024-25.

Things just usually go extremely right when MacKinnon is in the lineup.

MacKinnon led the Avalanche in goals (51) and assists (89) for an incredible total of 140 points. He would have come out on top of the entire NHL in terms of points had it not been for Nikita Kucherov, who had 144.

Despite falling short of being the point leader in 2023-24, MacKinnon still earned the Hart Trophy, given to the best player in the league in a given year (MVP). There was a time or two in which MacKinnon should have already won the Hart Trophy, but it was given to someone else. Some people think that he was snubbed, and that is certainly possible.

But now, he’s known as one of, if not the best players in the NHL.

MacKinnon is also a leader for this team. Although Gabriel Landeskog has the “C” on his sweater, MacKinnon is looked upon by his teammates. In a recent interview, teammate Nikolai Kovalenko said that MacKinnon is “the team’s boss.” Despite not having the “C” on his sweater, MacKinnon’s teammates still look up to him a great deal. It is very evident why.

As for his scoring potential, he is going to be among the top point-getters in the entire NHL for the next while. I’m very confident that MacKinnon will win another Hart Trophy at some point, whether it be next year or five years from now. It will happen and the focus right now will be on the 2024-25 season, where the next part of his career begins.