Top Colorado Avalanche point-getters from the 2023-24 season
Three superstars on the Colorado Avalanche reached great heights in 2023-24.
It shouldn’t be a surprise by now, but the Colorado Avalanche are good. Well, the team does have some weaknesses, but their top players are not only the best on their own team, but some are even in the top 5-10 when considering the rest of the NHL. A lot of that has to do with their stats on paper, and sometimes things that don’t actually show up on paper.
The biggest factor of a hockey game is obviously the goals. The other is the number of assists. An assist goes to a maximum of two players—the two players on the team that scores a goal. Those two players would have to be back-to-back, though. If a player on the opposing team touches the puck in the process, the count restarts.
So, who are the top-3 Colorado Avalanche players from the 2023-24 season who led the team in points? We’ll start with number three.
3. Cale Makar
Cale Makar comes in third on this list, as he recorded 90 points in 77 games during the 2023-24 season. There were only two instances in which Makar went three or more games without recording a point: December 2-December 9 (3 games) and February 6-February 22 (8 games).
Makar had 21 multi-point games during the 2023-24 season. It’s a fair assumption that Makar would have been one of the leaders in the Conn Smythe race this postseason had the Colorado Avalanche advanced further into the postseason. Unfortunately, they were bounced in Round 2.
His best month statistically was November, in which he had a massive 25 points, including 21 assists.
At even-strength (same number of players on the ice for each team), Makar had 13 goals and 34 assists (47 points). On the power-play, Makar had seven goals and 32 assists for 39 points. While the Avalanche were shorthanded, Makar had four total points including 3 assists.
During 5-on-5 instances, Makar had 40 points.
2. Mikko Rantanen
Mikko Rantanen just keeps on getting better and better with every year he is in the NHL. He finished the regular season with 104 points, one point shy of the season before. That is a fine example of consistency. He had 42 goals and 62 assists. Oh, by the way, he missed two games. So, hypothetically, he could have surpassed season stats from the year prior, and had the best season of his NHL career.
At even strength, he had 28 goals and 36 assists (64 points). That goal total came from 193 shots. On the power play, he had 14 goals on 78 shots, and 26 assists. While the Avalanche were playing 5-on-5 hockey, Rantanen had 24 goals and 30 assists For 54 points.
Rantanen is expected to receive a very nice contract extension in the coming weeks. He’s played so well that the Avalanche have no choice but to extend him. It would be a huge loss if the two sides were unable to come to terms on an extension, but it is hard to imagine that a deal will not get done soon. The term of the deal is expected to be a long one—around seven years, which would be tremendous.
As if anyone needs more reasons to keep Rantanen, the Avalanche have questions at two of their wing spots, with Valeri Nichushkin suspended and the uncertainty of Gabriel Landeskog’s health. The Avalanche have to prepare for the worst scenario, and trading Rantanen because he will cost a lot does not sound like a great plan. There probably likely will not be any discussion in the organization about trading him.
The Avalanche need Rantanen.
1. Nathan MacKinnon
Unless you are a new hockey/Avalanche fan, you knew that Nathan MacKinnon was going to be number on this list. MacKinnon was in a fun tight race for the Hart trophy, and that is because he had 140 points last season. Despite coming in second in that category (Nikita Kucherov, 144), MacKinnon was a dominant force and also had 51 goals.
There were several times last season where I watched MacKinnon fly down the ice at speeds that you’d imagine could never be possible. He’s a thrill to watch.
MacKinnon finished the regular season with 89 assists. While there were some instances where he didn’t score a goal, he was on a mission to help his teammates make plays.
When asked about MacKinnon, one particular word kept coming up by his teammates: consistency. MacKinnon is extremely consistent. You have to be aware of where he is at all times. Otherwise he will burn you. And while his teammate Cale Makar owns the hardest shot record from this past All-Star break competition, MacKinnon’s isn’t one to laugh at.
Surprisingly, there were 44 games in which he did not score a goal. Meanwhile, there were only 22 games in which she did not have an assist.
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