Is MacKinnon a first-ballot Hall of Famer already?

The Colorado Avalanche have several superstars on their roster. The head of the pack, however, may have gone further beyond that title. Nathan MacKinnon should be considered a generational player, and he may have done enough already to cement his claim as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, at the age of 28.

Let's discuss it.

Is Nathan MacKinnon the best in the league?

Looking at the entirety of the NHL, it is fair to say that MacKinnon is amongst the top three players in the league. Arguably, he is a very close second to the perennial #1 best hockey player in the world, Edmonton Oilers Captain and sure-fire Hall of Famer, Connor McDavid.

This offseason, MacKinnon did something that hasn't been done before by an Avalanche player in a very long time. He brought home some hardware to add to the historic trophy case, by winning the Hart trophy for league MVP and the Ted Lindsay trophy. This is the first time an Avs player brought home the Hart Trophy since Peter Forsberg did in 2003.

It was a magical season for MacKinnon in 2023-24, with 51 goals and 89 assists for a franchise record of 140 points. Currently, in his prime years, this offensive output should stagnate or improve over the next few seasons.

That should be enough to make you think that this guy will have his #29 retired at Ball Arena, his name etched into the side of the Stanley Cup a few more times, and eventually make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame on his very first try. In my opinion, I do not believe that there is any more that MacKinnon can do to sway his name away from being inducted immediately once he retires.

Do you think MacKinnon has shown enough thus far to say that he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer?