Another season, another playoff disappointment for the Colorado Avalanche. In the process of being eliminated by the Dallas Stars, the Avalanche set an ugly piece of history. They became the first team in the history of the NHL, NBA, and/or MLB to lose seven consecutive Game 7s.
No one wears the stress of that loss like superstar Nathan MacKinnon. The hyper-competitive center tries to will the team to success every season, and being unable to do so clearly weighs on him. But what kind of 2024-25 season did “Nate Dogg” have?
A Heavy Burden
Coming into the 2024-25 season, the Avalanche faced a major conundrum. Injuries, suspensions, and questionable roster decisions had left them heavily depleted, particularly in the forward ranks.
Combined with the fact that goaltender Alex Georgiev had the worst start of his career, the Avalanche got out of the gates at a snail’s pace. Though they had previously sacrificed the future to win now, the holes in the lineup were becoming glaring.
MacKinnon, as a true superstar and leader, put the team on his back. He played at a frenetic pace, especially over the first two months of the season. In those first 25 games, he posted 36 points, including a five-point effort against the Seattle Kraken. That is the kind of leadership that MacKinnon brings to the table consistently, not just during the 2024-25 season.
A Season Just as Good as His MVP Season
On paper, it is tough to say that MacKinnon’s performance this season is even close to the same level as his MVP 2023-24 season. He took a step back in every category, falling in goals (51 to 32), assists (89 to 84 despite leading the NHL), and points (140 to 116). That said, MacKinnon’s 2024-25 season is closer in quality than it seems.
For starters, the immense pressure he and the Avalanche had to have felt in the first two months of the season cannot be quantified. Jonathan Drouin, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin all missed substantial time. Gabriel Landeskog’s career was in question. At one point, the Avalanche were missing nearly the entirety of their top nine forwards.
MacKinnon continued to produce at a high level, keeping the Avalanche in the mix for a wild card spot. As the reinforcements arrived – particularly a pair of trades to improve goaltending – that pressure began to wane. The Avalanche got hot and climbed the standings. Without MacKinnon, that uphill climb would have been even steeper.
Grading MacKinnon
It might seem easy to just give a blind “A” to MacKinnon here, and it wouldn’t be incorrect. But his performance this season was remarkable when you look even more closely. His offensive performance was at a similar pace to his MVP campaign for much of the season before eventually falling off.
MacKinnon averaged nearly 23 minutes per night, playing in all situations. He won 50% of his faceoffs and turned in a plus-25 plus/minus despite goaltending being unable to stop a beach ball in the first two months. Let’s take a look at his individual grades:
It really can’t be overstated just how good MacKinnon was, especially early on. With a less depleted supporting cast and the kinks worked out of the power play, he would have likely been closer to his 140-point output of 2023-24. As it stands, he still finished as an MVP candidate, and it was well deserved.
2025-26 and Beyond
The Avalanche have serious decisions to make, especially at second-line center, with cap limitations in the way. The good thing about having a superstar like MacKinnon – and Cale Makar – is that the window for contention is always open. MacKinnon can put a team on his back and will them to success.
Things should be much better going into the coming season than they were to begin 2024-25. The goaltending issue is now a strength, there are no long-term injuries or question marks as there were coming into this past season. With a smoother start and less pressure to carry everything, MacKinnon could bounce back with a performance similar to his 2023-24 MVP season.
