Adam Proteau thinks Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon doesn't get as much credit as he should as one of the top talents in the NHL.

When people talk about the best players in the NHL, certain names immediately come to mind: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Boston’s David Pastrnak. 

But the one NHL superstar who, in this writer’s opinion, doesn’t get as much credit as he ought to is the Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon. The 28-year-old center is having a particularly outstanding season, and he’s due for more kudos than he currently gets.

Maybe MacKinnon’s lower profile is because he’s on an Avs team loaded with Grade-A stars, including defenseman Cale Makar, winger Mikko Rantanen and (injured) captain Gabriel Landeskog, who all were integral parts of Colorado’s Stanley Cup-winning season in 2021-22. 

Makar, in particular, was a big-time needle-mover in the 2022 post-season, and he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable playoff performer. However, MacKinnon was a dominant force, leading the playoffs in goals (13) and posting 24 points in 20 games. Without him, Colorado would not have won it all.

MacKinnon had some health issues in 2022-23, missing 11 games. That may also have taken him off the radar of some observers, but he still managed to put up career highs in goals (42), assists (69) and points (111) in 71 games. That points total was fifth-best in the league, behind McDavid (153), Draisaitl (128) and Pastrnak and Kucherov (113). But all of those four players played in at least 80 games. If MacKinnon had been healthy all season, he would have been close to Draisaitl with a nearly 128-point pace.

There are NHLers out there who’ve signed big-money, long-term contracts, and teams have come to regret those deals. But MacKinnon’s current contract, which pays him an average of $12.6 million per season, has nobody complaining. He’s been a monster for the Avs this year, generating 19 goals, 37 assists and 56 points in just 35 games. That puts him on a pace to register 45 goals, 87 assists and 132 points. That’s an astonishing number for a player who is the focal point of every opponent’s defense. MacKinnon is in his prime and is one of the chief drivers of Colorado’s success again this year.

MacKinnon doesn’t seek the limelight, and out in Denver, there isn't as much media attention as McDavid and Matthews are in Canadian markets. But there’s no question he’s a major force to reckon with. 

If the Olympics or World Cup of Hockey were held today, he’d be front and center (no pun intended) as one of Canada’s most important players. And he plays the game the right way, as evidenced by his Lady Byng Memorial Trophy win in 2020. Imagine how disciplined you have to be to be a leviathan on the ice and keep your emotions in check. That’s what MacKinnon has done in his 11 NHL seasons. He knows better than to be a hothead easily distracted by his opponents.

MacKinnon has nothing to prove to anyone at this point in his career, but he is driven to be a repeat Cup winner. Betting against him doing so is not advisable. In this writer's opinion, he’s the second-best player in the NHL behind McDavid, and that’s no small feat. He’s got the potential to win more individual awards, and he may not be done improving. That’s got to be terrifying to the rest of the league.