Scoring has risen in recent years, and the league’s extraordinary players have taken advantage. It’s not at video game levels like the 1980s or early 1990s, but it’s also not trending in the wrong direction like it was a decade ago.

The best players in the world are able to dominate. Skill is paramount, though size and skill is even better. The 2023-24 season gave us a great regular season of individual performances and a fantastic Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Best-on-best international hockey is coming back. The salary cap is going up again, finally. The Arizona Coyotes no longer play in a college barn. Life is pretty good for the powers that be at the league offices right now.

That doesn’t mean the NHL is perfect. Far from it. In fact, it can be even better.

Enter … well, me. The 2024-25 campaign will be my second covering the Colorado Avalanche and 15th full season writing about the NHL in some day-to-day capacity. I’ve covered four teams as a local beat writer and spent parts of five seasons looking at the league from a national perspective.

What would I do if Commissioner Gary Bettman took a day off and let me have a go at the controls?

I’ve had the privilege of covering Alex Ovechkin, Taylor Hall and Nathan MacKinnon during MVP seasons, and arguably the two best defensemen since Nicklas Lidstrom hung up his skates: Erik Karlsson and Cale Makar. Watching world-class players conjure their magic has admittedly colored my view of how hockey can be played at its zenith, and I think more can be done to help push the game to even greater heights.

We’ve got some ideas at Avalanche Ink HQ about how to improve the NHL product. Some are minor tweaks. Others could seem like big changes. We’ll stay away from the obvious — “market star players better” — and the most thorny.

A change to icing

My biggest personal pet peeve is watching a goalie hug the post while the puck slides by inches away for an icing. It’s even called icing when the puck hits the side of the net millimeters away, but not if the goalie touches it.

Here’s a simple, obvious rule change that would improve game flow: If the puck is cleared into the goalie trapezoid, icing is waived off. Some people don’t like the trapezoid, but I do. And I want to give it further purpose while cutting out some unnecessary stoppages of play.

Add “and-ones”

OK, I lied. My actual biggest pet peeve is when a team takes a penalty and then gives up a goal five seconds later. The penalty is wiped off the board by the goal.

Not in my NHL. The punishment for taking a penalty is playing with one less player. Swapping out the goalie for a skater during a delayed penalty does not do this. There are still six players a side.

If a team scores during a delayed penalty situation, whether it takes five seconds or two minutes … the offending player is still going to the box. This should happen for NHL players doing the “and one” celebration alone.

Two-minute majors, but not all of them

Speaking of penalties, teams should get the full two minutes to score as many times as they want. This rule was only changed because one team in a six-team league was too good.

Here’s a twist though: non-contact fouls will remain a one-and-done situation. Too many men, faceoff violations and the dreaded puck-over-the-glass penalties would all remain a two-minute minor. But all of the contact-related fouls become two-minute majors.

Don’t want to have Tampa Bay or Edmonton light you up for three goals in two minutes? Take fewer penalties. That should be the long-term goal with each of the past two ideas.

Embrace the KHL’s new overtime rule

This commissioner for a day is not a fan of 3-on-3 hockey, but also realizes that horse is long out of the barn. The KHL is experimenting with a new rule this season in its junior league that forces the offensive team to keep the puck on the offensive side of the center-ice red line.

This is a fun idea, but early returns suggest the punishment — the first infraction is a center-ice faceoff, the second is a penalty — might be too stiff. Avalanche Ink HQ likes this innovation a lot — all the reloading and skating the puck backwards is not fun, and it feels like a dump-and-chase move at 3-on-3 could lead to some interesting things.

Here’s the simple tweak: No penalties for a “backcourt violation,” but instead treat it like icing. The other team gets an offensive zone faceoff. Punitive, but not “well, the game is probably over now” levels.

Fix the CHL problem

Speaking of junior leagues, it’s time for the NHL to face the small elephant in the proverbial player development room. It doesn’t need to cater to the Canadian Hockey League anymore.

If the NHL drafts a player from anywhere in the world that isn’t Canada, said prospect can play in the AHL whenever he and the club wants. If the NHL drafts someone from one of Canada’s three major junior leagues (WHL, OHL, QMJHL), said player has only two options until he turns 20 — the NHL or back to juniors.

For a large chunk of NHL history, it desperately needed the CHL to develop the vast majority of its players, in a similar fashion to how the NFL needs college football. Given the rise of European players and more recently, the USHL and the number of Canadians going to college hockey programs, it’s time for the NHL to ask for some exemptions.

We’re not suggesting the NHL should ask to do away with this agreement entirely, but there needs to be a compromise. Calum Ritchie is a great example. He should not have to go back to the OHL after he tore up the league last season if he doesn’t make the Avalanche roster.

Our suggestion is every team gets one exemption per season, but it should also be merit-based so the CHL isn’t just losing 32 players every year. If a player meets certain statistical or award-based criteria, his NHL club should have the option to send him to the AHL.

A pair of jersey upgrades

1. This is stealing an idea from international football because it’s great. Every team that has won the Stanley Cup is allowed to promote it on the jersey, similar to how countries that have won the World Cup have stars above their crest. So that could mean three stars for the Avs or three small replica trophies. How would the Montreal Canadiens do this with 24 championships? We’ll hire a design team to come up with league-approved ideas.

2. The reigning Stanley Cup champions will have a patch with the Cup on it.

Add a play-in tournament

We’ve already addressed this at length. Who cares if it looks like the league is just copying the NBA? It’s a slam dunk, pun intended.

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For the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of cap space was not the main storyline when free agency opened July 1 and NHL GMs turned back the clock for a proper spending spree. Given the number of risky and/or already problematic contracts handed out, teams like Colorado that mostly stuck to the bargain bin came away from this past week better off than clubs that will ultimately regret some of these deals.

As expected, there’s still no tangible updates on captain Gabe Landeskog and the suspended Valeri Nichushkin. Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said at the 2024 NHL draft in Las Vegas that Landeskog hasn’t hit any “speed bumps” in his continued recovery from a knee injury and the club hopes Nichushkin is doing all he needs to do to get right while in Stage 3 of the NHL-NHLPA Players Assistance Program.

Those two players are still going to define the 2024-25 season for Colorado — either with their returns or absences — and how the Avs react. There could still be a Mikko Rantanen contract extension or other depth signings later in the summer, but for now the depth chart looks relatively settled.

There are still some question marks, but it looks better than it did a week ago.

Center

(Can’t see chart in mobile? Click here.)

Nathan MacKinnon is now the reigning league MVP, and also going to be filled with “one got away from us” motivation after the club’s second-round exit. Good luck slowing him down.

Casey Mittelstadt signed a fair deal for both sides, and having him for a full regular season should be a reason for optimism. He and Ryan Johansen combined for 33 points in an Avs uniform. He could get close to doubling that.

There were reports of Ross Colton being available, but his full no-trade clause kicked in July 1 and he looks set to be the No. 3 center. The fourth spot could be an interesting battle in training camp. Is Chris Wagner the obvious choice? Could one of the younger guys like Jean-Luc Foudy or Nikolai Kovalenko earn that spot?

He’s not listed here, but Calum Ritchie will be at camp and should be headed back to juniors … unless he forces his way into an NHL trial run.

Left wing

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Convincing Jonathan Drouin to run it back for another year in Denver at a below-market rate was a big step toward potentially being a no-doubt Stanley Cup contender … once things are sorted with Landeskog and Nichushkin.

A season of good health for Artturi Lehkonen would also be a huge boost for the Avs. He’s missed 55 games over the past two years. There’s an obvious spot open on the second line for Landeskog, if he’s ready to play at the start the season. Having one of him, Drouin, Lehkonen or Nichushkin on the third line if everyone is healthy at the same time could be quite the luxury.

Miles Wood had a solid first year with the Avs, but will try to avoid another late-season scoring slump. Parker Kelly joins from Ottawa as a potential Andrew Cogliano/Brandon Duhaime replacement. Jere Innala led the Swedish Hockey League in goals and points in the playoffs despite Frolunda not even making the final round, but the diminutive forward is taking his shot at an NHL roster.

Right Wing

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MacFarland didn’t offer much in the way of an update on a potential Rantanen contract. He’s now eligible to sign a deal that runs from 2025 to ’33. Trivia time: When was the last time this franchise had two players reach 100 points in three consecutive seasons together? (The answer is at the end of this story.)

If Landeskog isn’t ready for the start of the season, Logan O’Connor could spend some time on the second line. The Avs did what they could to replace him after a season-ending hip injury, but they missed him in the playoffs.

Kovalenko will look to settle in and become a productive regular on one of the bottom two lines. Hopefully there are at least a few games with him and Wood on the same line, just for the potential fireworks. The Avs know what to expect from Kiviranta, and he could be a regular for his work on the penalty kill alone.

Defensemen

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The top four remains unchanged. All Cale Makar did last year was set a franchise record for points and finish third in the Norris Trophy voting, and yet the standard he’s set is so high that expecting a smidge more from him in 2024-25 isn’t that crazy. Could he make his first real run at 100 points?

If Samuel Girard can play like he did after returning from the players assistance program for a full season and the top four stays relatively healthy, the Avs are going to have one of the best defense corps in the league.

Calvin de Haan and Erik Brannstrom arrive, both on one-year, low-risk contracts. Sam Malinski will try to break in as an NHL regular for the first time. Two of those three guys will make up the third pairing. At least one of them will need to help on the PK.

Jacob MacDonald and Calle Rosen both return to the organization and could be valuable depth options if the NHL guys don’t stay healthy. If the Avs decide that Malinski isn’t ready for everyday duty, there’s also a chance that one of them makes the roster.

Goaltenders

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It looks like the Avs might wait on choosing a No. 3 goalie for the second straight season. There are typically some interesting options on the waiver wire when every club has to set their opening-night rosters. That’s when Colorado added Ivan Prosvetov last year. The top two UFA options still on the market are Kevin Lankinen and Martin Jones.

For now, the net in Denver clearly belongs to Alexandar Georgiev, with Justus Annunen backing him up. The Avs will add someone to compete with Trent Miner for playing time with the Eagles … at some point.

Trivia answer: Never. Two guys have had 100-plus in a season together nine times in franchise history, but never in back-to back-to-back years, like MacKinnon and Rantanen will attempt do to do in 2024-25. 

*Source: CapFriendly.com | +Currently suspended

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The Colorado Avalanche made several signings Monday on the first day of free agency. None were more important to the club’s ability to compete for the Stanley Cup in 2025 than finding a way to bring Jonathan Drouin back — and there’s no way that happens without MacKinnon.

Drouin signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract to run it back with the Avs after he had a breakout season with Colorado. His connection to MacKinnon was one of the reasons he chose Denver as his next destination a year ago.

“I think (his agent) Allan Walsh and Jonathan deserve a heck of a lot of credit,” MacFarland said. “The first thing is the player has to want to be here, and I think Jonathan has been committed to our group.

“It wasn’t easy … but we were able to find a sweet spot this morning and very happy that it is done.”

Drouin was one of the best stories in the NHL, proving that he can be a dynamic, two-way player with better defensive acumen than expected. He produced for the Avs both next to and away from MacKinnon, to the tune of 19 goals and a career-high 56 points.

Compare Drouin’s contract to those also signed Monday and ones from recent NHL seasons, and his $2.5 million cap hit is a bargain. Twice that number, if not more, would have been fair.

Even if it was one of the best team-friendly deals on a wild day in NHL history — the first that included more than $1 billion in contracts signed — keeping Drouin and staying below the $88 million ceiling could involve some salary cap gymnastics.

If everyone is healthy and available at some point this season, after Gabe Landeskog returns from injury and Valeri Nichushkin is reinstated from suspension, the Avs will have more than $88 million in contracts, barring one of the current projected regulars being removed.

That doesn’t mean the Avs will have to trade someone. The salary cap is calculated on a daily basis. Nichushkin’s contract will not count every day he is suspended, which could allow Colorado to effectively bank enough space to cover the daily overages when he returns.

There could be other ways to manipulate the daily cap figure to create enough space over the course of the season, as well.

“In the summer you get the 10 percent (cushion), and obviously we still don’t know about Gabe and Val’s situations,” MacFarland said. “Talking about the opening-day roster in light of LTIR decisions and things of that sort, a lot of those things have to still be worked out.”

The Avs have now retained Drouin and Casey Mittelstadt, who signed a three-year, $17.25 million contract last week, for a combined $8 million against the cap next season. That’s at least 30 percent less than what it could have been, which also would have meant one of them was not returning.

Given the uncertainty with Landeskog and Nichushkin, keeping Drouin should help the Avalanche remain a good team early in the season and improve the chances of it being a great one later in the year.

How great will still depend on what Colorado gets from Landeskog and Nichushkin, or what they can do if one or both is not on the active roster by the trade deadline. But keeping Drouin elevates both the floor and ceiling for this club in 2024-25.

The Avs also found a handful of depth players Monday, the most of important of which is defenseman Calvin de Haan. He looks like the replacement for Jack Johnson on the club’s third pairing.

A defense-first veteran, de Haan should be an upgrade over Johnson on the ice. If Johnson doesn’t return, the Avs will be short another veteran leader, but Landeskog’s return and another year of experience/maturity from the club’s core could mitigate that.

De Haan is a veteran of more than 600 NHL games, and could be a mentor for Sam Malinski in his first full season.

“He’s a left-shot defender with penalty kill in his toolbox,” MacFarland said. “We liked the contract. We felt it was good bang for our buck on a guy who’s played a lot of games.”

The other signings were all about giving the Avs much-needed depth. Defensemen Calle Rosen and Jacob MacDonald look set to compete for the No. 7 role.

Parker Kelly, Joel Kiviranta and T.J. Tynan all join a cluster of forwards who will battle for spots on the fourth line, or become key figures for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL. All of the signings besides Drouin are for less than $1.15 million, which means no cost against the cap if they are sent to the Eagles.

MacFarland said the Avs will keep looking, but beyond a contract that starts in 2025-26 for Mikko Rantanen, Alexandar Georgiev or Logan O’Connor, any further additions are also likely to be from the bargain bin.

Just finding a way to retain Drouin, while also adding a solid third-pairing defenseman, made this first day of free agency a big success for the Avs.

“I think we’re pretty happy with how the day went,” MacFarland said. “I think these signings as a whole kind of solidified our group.”

The Avs’ busy day

Even with limited cap space, the Colorado Avalanche still found a way to make a fair amount of moves on the opening day of free agency in the NHL. Here’s a look at who’s coming and who’s going:

(Can’t see chart in mobile? Click here.)

Who’s in

Who’s out

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The Avs signed Casey Mittelstadt to a three-year contract to kickstart their offseason. They can sign Mikko Rantanen to a long-term extension for the 2025-26 season and beyond once the calendar flips to July.

But the math is the math, and the Avs don’t have room below the salary cap ceiling to make a big addition to the 2024-25 roster without removing someone who was important in 2023-24. That includes bringing back Jonathan Drouin, something the player and team both want but the salary cap just might not allow.

“It’s a challenging one,” general manager Chris MacFarland said. “We are cap-challenged, so there’s those competing factors. Both parties want to get it done, but finding that sweet spot is the challenge.”

The cap ceiling is set at $88 million for next season. With Mittelstadt signed, the Avs are nearly out of room to add players who make anything beyond the league minimum. If we include Nikolai Kovalenko, Sam Malinski and Jean-Luc Foudy, plus three players on veteran minimum contracts to fill out the lineup, the Avs are left with less than $400,000 in cap space.

There is a path to more space that doesn’t involve trading someone off the current roster, but it comes with an asterisk. Valeri Nichushkin’s $6.125 million cap hit will not count toward the $88 million ceiling for as long as he’s suspended, which is until at least mid-November.

Once he’s reinstated by the NHL, the Avs would need to get back down below the $88 million limit. If they had a player who needs to go on long-term injured reserve, it could be another temporary solution, but the most likely fix would be a trade.

At least as of Friday night, that did not sound like a plan that enticed MacFarland.

“You really can’t go over $88 (million),” he said. “There are sort of two tracks that you go on. Last year, we knew (Gabe Landeskog) was out for the year. This year, thankfully, we don’t know that. … We know Val’s going to be reinstated at some point, assuming everything goes good, which obviously that’s what we’re hoping for for him and for us. At some point in November, it’s not like we can go and spend $6 million and then go, ‘OK, we got to get rid of $6 million’ three weeks into the season. That’s not how it works.

“It’s not simple to create those escape hatches. And most teams when they know you need to do something, it’s not the best situation to be in.”

Drouin was a wonderful story this past season, a great candidate for comeback player of the year if such an NHL award existed. He quickly fit in the with club and eventually became an integral player.

He set a career high with 56 points and became a trusted two-way player for coach Jared Bednar who could play on the top line with his buddy Nathan MacKinnon or away from him on the second line.

There’s no question that the reigning NHL MVP wants his friend back. MacKinnon called Drouin his favorite he’s ever had shortly after collecting the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award on Thursday night.

“Quite a bit,” MacKinnon said when asked if he and Drouin had been discussing the future lately. “… It’s no secret that I love the guy. I love playing with him. Everybody on the team loved him, but I get it, though. It’s business and he’s got to do what’s best for him. He’s got a couple kids, a wife, everything. I’m hoping it works out, though.”

If the Avs don’t move another roster player, Drouin will certainly be able to secure a better contract on the open market. It will also likely leave the club searching for bargains once the market opens Monday morning.

The Avs will be looking for players similar to Drouin a year ago, either recently bought out of a contract or someone whose recent past did not go well and is looking for a short-term “show me” deal to help rebuild their value.

The NHL’s bargain bin is an unpredictable place to shop, but the Avs have been one of the best clubs at identifying players of that ilk who can help. It could also mean Colorado’s additions don’t come until later in the offseason, away from the flurry of July 1 signings.

It will also likely make the Avs an unknown when training camp approaches. Put healthy versions of Nichushkin and Landeskog into a lineup that still includes arguably the best core in the NHL, and by midseason Colorado could be one of the league’s best teams.

What the Avs will actually get from Landeksog and Nichushkin this season is obviously a huge unknown. There’s no way to know right now, and if MacFarland and his staff aren’t willing to take the (potentially substantial) risk of blowing past the cap ceiling now and figuring it out later, it could be a waiting game on multiple levels.

“I think honestly we’re really close,” MacKinnon said. “I really think that. Dallas played great against us and we were right there. Just couldn’t get it going. Couldn’t get our mojo going at home, which after our (regular season) home record it was ironic how bad we were at home for whatever reason. We have to fix that a year from now and just keep building, but I think our team is a championship-caliber team.”

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Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, a lighthouse in a storm of incompetence this season, lost focus, failing to give way to the center fielder on a popup that dropped for a single, then throwing home on a ground ball when there was clearly no play. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers chunked a throw on a routine double play and then the umpire nailed Michael Toglia for blocking first base on a snapback toss from catcher Jacob Stallings.

The latter call was beyond suspect but fit in perfectly with the fabric of the performance.

Former Colorado manager Clint Hurdle often said that the big leagues are not a try-hard league, but a do-good league. When does this apply to the current Rockies? They want to be evaluated on their effort. When will owner Dick Monfort hold the front office and coaches accountable for results?

The Rockies woke up Saturday 6-19 in June. Worst in the big leagues this month. Their team ERA during this stretch is 6.71, also the basement.

Everyone in the majors works hard. Coaches, players, trainers. Punching the clock is the baseline, like seeing fog in the mirror when you breathe. It is not enough to show up on time, roll up your sleeves and sign autographs for fans.

There has to be logic and a rubric to measure progress.

This season there has been none. The Rockies arrived at the midpoint of the year Friday on pace for 54 wins. This number would not matter if the roster was littered with young players, the season sacrificed for their development. But where are the prospects? Tovar is a star. Then who? Toglia has flashed power, but is a career .188 hitter with 139 strikeouts in 372 at-bats, outfielder Jordan Beck got hurt, and Adael Amador reminded me more of utilityman Jonathan Herrera than Tovar in his espresso in the big leagues this month. Maybe catcher Drew Romo shows he belongs in August, and outfielder Zac Veen arrives and rakes in September.

The promise those two represent — and throw in Amador — is the only thing currently standing between this season and complete embarrassment.

In the end it was a landslide for Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon. He won his first MVP award easily, notching 137 of the 194 first-place votes. Nobody goes downhill on the ice like Nate the Great. The only thing missing from his resume is a second Stanley Cup title. …

Bronny James going to the Lakers with the 55th pick in the NBA draft was as predictable as the ending of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. In a league full of nepotism, I have no issue with the selection. My concern is that Bronny is never going to develop in the shadow of his father, while playing for an inexperienced head coach. …

OK, I will say it. CU had three players drafted in the top 42 – Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and K.J. Simpson – which is fantastic. But it reinforces my opinion that the Buffs underachieved and should have reached the Sweet 16 last season. Injuries played a role, but when will they have this much talent again? …

Mail Time

Trade Michael Porter Jr. for Bruce Brown. Tell the Nuggets.

— Steve Webb, email

Texting general manager Calvin Booth as we speak. I kid because I care. The idea of trading Michael Porter Jr. for Bruce Brown doesn’t make sense. The idea of trading MPJ does, though. If the Nuggets can move the former first-rounder for two rotational players, this cannot be dismissed. MPJ showed his potential last season, averaging 16.7 points and seven rebounds per game. He carried the Nuggets in the series win over the Lakers. Then he became a ghost vs. Minnesota. Given his lack of usage late in games — this has long been an issue under coach Michael Malone — the Nuggets must keep an open mind about trading him for multiple pieces to create more depth and roster flexibility.

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MacKinnon is going to get his chance to represent Canada in a best-on-best international tournament at the men’s senior level for the first time in his career. He, along with Avalanche teammates Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen, were among the players named Friday morning to preliminary rosters for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.

Makar and MacKinnon were among the six players named to Canada’s roster. Rantanen was named to Finland’s roster. The United States and Sweden are the other two participating nations.

The other four players named to Canada’s preliminary roster were Connor McDavid, Brad Marchand, Brayden Point … and MacKinnon’s close friend and mentor Sidney Crosby. MacKinnon has spoken repeatedly about wanting to play with the 36-year-old Crosby for Canada before he retires.

“We played together in 2015 at (the IIHF World Championship) when I was 19 or 20,” MacKinnon said Thursday night. “I’d love to be on his wing. That would be cool. I think we play well together. That would be fun.”

Crosby said that MacKinnon started talking about the idea of them playing together at this tournament on Day 1 of a golf trip they took together recently. MacKinnon said Thursday night that Crosby was one of the first people to call him after the Avs star was named league MVP for the first time.

“You look at all the years the guys had and it was pretty tight,” Crosby said. “But that home (point) streak, how consistent he was, and just how big he was to his team’s success, it showed through. Seeing the way he works and how committed he is, I know he’s doing that to win hockey games but to be recognized, I’m sure it feels good and it’s well deserved.”

The 4 Nations Face-Off takes place in February in lieu of an NHL All-Star game next season. It is also intended as kind of an appetizer for the NHL’s return to full participation in the Winter Olympics, which will happen at the 2026 Games in Italy.

There hasn’t been a best-on-best international hockey tournament with full NHL participation since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. MacKinnon played in that tournament but as a member of Team North America — a roster of young players from the U.S. and Canada.

That team featured many of the top stars in the game today like MacKinnon, McDavid, Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel. None of these players have had the chance to represent their countries on a best-on-best international stage.

Rantanen is joined on the Finland roster by Aleksander Barkov, Miro Heiskanen, Jusse Saros, Sebastian Aho and Esa Lindell. The event will start in Montreal and finish in Boston. It will feature three round-robin games for each country and then a Feb. 20 championship game at TD Garden.

MacKinnon and Makar will face Rantanen on Feb. 17, the final group-stage game for both countries.

Sweden’s first six players include Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Willian Nylander, Filip Forsberg, Gustav Forsling and Mika Zibanejad. The U.S. preliminary roster includes Matthews, Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox and Charlie McAvoy.

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Joe Sakic

Season: 2000-01

Numbers: 118 points (54 goals/64 assists), plus-45 plus/minus, 12 game-winning goals

Note: In a season that saw the Avs claim the President’s Trophy with 118 points, Sakic led the league in plus/minus, game-winning goals, point shares (15.9) and goals created (45.9) en route to claiming the Hart, Ted Lindsay (then Pearson) and Lady Byng trophies. Sakic was both second in goals and points in the NHL and finished just behind New Jersey’s John Madden in the Selke Trophy voting. Super Joe got his revenge in the Stanley Cup Final, as the Avs beat Madden’s Devils in seven games.

Peter Forsberg

Season: 2002-03

Numbers: 106 points (29 goals/77 assists), plus-52 plus/minus, 1.41 points per game

Note: Despite being the only one of the three Colorado MVPs to claim the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL points leader, Forsberg was the only one of the three to not sweep the MVP awards. While the Swede took home the Hart Trophy, Vancouver winger Markus Näslund was the one who walked away with the Lindsay Award (then Pearson). Still, Forsberg finished tops in the league in assists for a team that was ultimately upset in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by Minnesota.

Nathan MacKinnon

Season: 2023-24

Numbers: 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists), plus-35 plus/minus, 405 shots on goal, 187 total goals on ice for

Breakdown: After finishing second in the Hart Trophy twice, MacKinnon finally claimed the award with a historic season that saw him establish new single-season franchise records for points, shots on goal, goals created (51.1), point shares (16.0) and total goals on ice for. In addition, he set a new franchise record with a 35-game home point streak — second longest in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky — and became the first Avs player to score four goals in a game, and he did it twice.

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5. “That’s another league”

When/where: Jan. 13, Scotiabank Arena

The Avs didn’t have Valeri Nichushkin or Artturi Lehkonen and were down by three goals in Toronto. No problem. Nathan MacKinnon scored the game-winner with 3:25 left, capping a dominant overall performance against fellow MVP candidate Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs. After the game, now-former Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said, “When MacKinnon’s line gets out there with (Cale) Makar and (Devon) Toews, the caliber of play, like that’s not the NHL. That’s another league.”

4. The first Colorado four-pack

When/where: Dec. 21, Ball Arena

Two days after Devon Toews had some harsh criticism for his teammates following a seventh loss in 11 games, the Avs were trailing the lowly Ottawa Senators after two periods. Enter MacKinnon, who scored the game-tying goal, assisted on the winner and netted his fourth goal of the game, a first in the club’s history since moving to Denver, to help Colorado collect a 6-4 win.

3. Ain’t over ’til it’s over

When/where: March 16, Rogers Place

Two of the league’s best teams didn’t meet until late in the season, and then they delivered the game of the regular season in the NHL. The Avs and the Edmonton Oilers played at an incredible pace for 60 minutes, but MacKinnon delivered the biggest moment. He won a race against Evan Bouchard to a puck in the corner, kicked the puck to his stick and fired a perfect backhanded pass to Lehkonen, who scored on a one-timer with one second left to deliver a 3-2 victory.

Another look at the insane pass by MacKinnon with 1 second left.

He kicks the loose puck with his back skate up to his stick than fires a no look backhand to Lehkonen in stride

#GoAvsGo

pic.twitter.com/QyGD9khHJD

— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) March 17, 2024

2. The “Bra Trick” game

When/where: Jan. 24, Ball Arena

MacKinnon had the first four-goal game for the franchise in Colorado, then did it again 34 days later. He had the club’s first natural hat trick since Joe Sakic had one in 2003 and established a new franchise record with at least one point in 24 straight home games, surpassing a Sakic streak. When he added a fourth goal late, a bra and pair of women’s underwear ended up on the ice along with a smattering of extra hats, and a new hockey term was born.

Tonight's performance from Nathan MacKinnon, captured in one picture: pic.twitter.com/Gezr2LEzsn

— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) January 25, 2024

1. The masterpiece

When/where: April 9, Ball Arena

Minnesota was 10th in the league in goals against per game since John Hynes took over as coach during the season. The Wild needed a win to remain in playoff contention. MacKinnon eviscerated them, with three breakaway goals — all of which started with a Wild defender in between him and the goalie before he blew past one (or more) guys in a visiting jersey. He scored his 50th goal during the game. It was his closing statement in a season full of incredible performances.

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That was chiseled in granite Thursday night.

MacKinnon won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award at the 2024 NHL Awards Show, collecting both NHL most valuable player honors for the first time in his career. He joins franchise legends Joe Sakic (2001) and Peter Forsberg (2003) as Avs players who have claimed league MVP honors.

“It’s really cool. I honestly never thought I’d win these,” MacKinnon said. “Every player I grew up idolizing has their name on these things. To be a part of that company, it’s surreal. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s definitely a special thing.

“I know it’s an individual award, but you do feel like you’re connected to these all-time greats.”

Avs defenseman Cale Makar was also a finalist for the James Norris Trophy for the fourth consecutive season. The 2022 winner, Makar finished third in the voting. Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes won for the first time, and Nashville’s Roman Josi finished second.

MacKinnon was also named to the NHL First All-Star Team for the first time in his career. He had previously been named to the second team twice. Makar earned NHL Second All-Star Team honors. He’s made the first team twice and second team twice in his five-year career.

A runner-up for the Hart Trophy twice before, MacKinnon finished this past season with a career-high 51 goals and a franchise-record 140 points. He led the NHL in shots on goal (405) and even-strength points (92).

“It probably has a lot to do with me winning (the Hart) is just kind of letting go of things and outcomes and different accolades,” MacKinnon said. “It’s definitely part of it, just letting go of (worrying about) all that stuff.”

MacKinnon said he received phone calls from his childhood hero turned close friend Sidney Crosby and from Wayne Gretzky shortly after winning the awards.

MacKinnon had at least one point in 35 straight home games to start the season, the second-longest such streak in NHL history. He became the first player in league history to have multiple 19-game point streaks, regardless of venue, in one season.

“I was doing the weirdest things before games,” MacKinnon said of his superstitious nature during the home-point streak. “My car was dirty the whole year. I wouldn’t clean it, inside and out. Just dumb things that I would wear. Honestly, when it was over, I was kind of happy.”

This was arguably the best field of MVP candidates the NHL has seen to date, but the Hart voting wasn’t that close in the end. MacKinnon garnered 137 of the 194 first-place votes, 87 more than Nikita Kucherov, who finished second. MacKinnon had 47 second-place votes, eight third-place votes and one voter placed him fifth. One of the voters did not have him on their ballot.

Kucherov led the league with 144 points. He and MacKinnon became the second and third players to reach 140 points since 1996, joining Connor McDavid from 2022-23.

McDavid and Kucherov both reached 100 assists, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the only players in league history to reach that milestone. And all Auston Matthews did was score 69 goals, the most by anyone since 1996, while also finishing third in the Selke Trophy voting for the league’s top defensive forward. He wasn’t even a finalist for the Hart, finishing fourth with a resume that could have easily won in a lot of years.

MacKinnon now has a Calder Memorial Trophy, Lady Byng Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay on his resume, along with the Stanley Cup ring from 2022. He’s one of five active players to have won the Calder as top rookie and MVP, joining Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Patrick Kane. The Hart is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The Lindsay award is selected by the NHL Players Association.

There were numerous incredible performances along the way this season for MacKinnon. He had the first four-goal game since the franchise moved to Colorado, then added the second 34 days later. He had the first Avalanche natural hat trick since Sakic had one in 2003.

He also had several signature games or moments on the road in some of the NHL’s biggest markets, including a game-winning goal to help erase a three-goal lead in Toronto, a highlight-reel goal in New York, a four-point game in Philadelphia and a game-winning assist with one second left in Edmonton in arguably the best regular-season game of the NHL season.

Along the way, he helped keep the Avalanche among the best teams in the NHL and on the short list of Stanley Cup contenders. And he has further etched his name into hockey lore because of it.

“I just love the day-to-day grind of the NHL and I think that’s why I’m sitting here right now,” MacKinnon said. “I do love to work and I love the process of things.”

Hart Trophy voting results

(Can’t see chart in mobile? Click here)

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He’s played or coached against most of the iconic players of the past half-century, and his love of the sport led him to spend countless hours watching the rest. He coached arguably the greatest goal-scorer of all time (Alexander Ovechkin) at the zenith of his powers.

When he speaks about the history of this game, he speaks from the heart and his words carry weight.

To say he’s a fan of Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon would be a profound understatement.

“When I coached against him, I would forget to coach at times because I would just watch him. Honest to God,” Boudreau told The Denver Post. “To me, he is the most exciting player to watch ever. The combination of speed, strength, power, even some meanness. To have all those traits in a center like that, I just think he’s one of those guys that will go down as just one of the greatest players ever.”

MacKinnon’s place among the best players of his generation is secure, but he can take a big step toward an all-time great legacy Thursday. He is one of the finalists for both the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, with the winners to be announced at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas.

He’s been a finalist before. He could have won in 2018. This year is different.

While it is arguably the greatest field of candidates in NHL history, MacKinnon put forth his best case to be MVP with a remarkable 2023-24 campaign.

“I think he’s gonna win the MVP this year,” Boudreau said. “He’s won a Stanley Cup. He’s won all of these things. You don’t hear about him in those (all-time) terms sometimes, because (Connor) McDavid overshadows him. But when his career is said and done, he will have done it all.”

McDavid had an incredible season as well, reaching 100 assists. He reminded everyone he is the best player in the world — something MacKinnon has echoed repeatedly — with the best postseason in three decades to push Edmonton to within a win of the Stanley Cup.

The Hart, which is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and the Ted Lindsay, voted on by the NHL Players Association, are regular-season awards. For that reason, McDavid will likely finish third in the voting, behind MacKinnon and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov. Toronto’s Auston Matthews scored 69 goals — the most by any player since 1995-96 — and we already know he will finish no higher than fourth in the voting for the Hart.

MacKinnon finished with 51 goals and a franchise-record 140 points. He had the second-longest home point streak in NHL history and became the first player to have a pair of scoring streaks of at least 19 games, regardless of venue, in the same season.

He wasn’t tops among the top-four MVP candidates in every statistical category, but he was either first or second in so many that it’s easy to make his case as the most consistently dominant player during the 2023-24 regular season.

“When I was in Nashville and they swept us in that (2022 first-round) series, we had played them the second-to-last game of the regular season,” Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes told The Post. “Then we went to Arizona and we came back. The intensity level and the drive that he had (in the playoffs) and the team had, I was like, ‘This is different. This is not the same team we just played. He’s different.’

“When I saw him down the stretch (this season), he had that hat trick against us in Colorado. He was at a different level again.”

That game against Minnesota was the final statement in a season full of signature performances.

MacKinnon scored three breakaway goals, dismantling a team that came into the game 10th in the NHL in goals against since Hynes took over as the coach and needed a win to keep its playoff hopes alive.

On each goal, there was a Wild defenseman (or two) positioned between MacKinnon and the Minnesota net when he collected the puck, but each time they were unable to stay in front of him.

“The speed, the determination. There were things that he did in that game where … there just wasn’t much you could do about it,” Hynes said. “His speed was just … he had the one where he came out of the defensive zone and it was just three strides and he was at full speed. You could see it developing on the bench and he just went through our two ‘D.’

“We were in good position. We had two really good defensemen out there. That was the matchup we wanted. He just beat us.”

Kucherov led the NHL with 144 points. There have only been three 140-point seasons since 1996 — MacKinnon and Kucherov this season and McDavid in 2022-23. MacKinnon has been a great player for most of his career, but the past three seasons have pushed him into a different stratosphere.

He only had 88 points in 2021-22, but missed 17 games and punctuated the year with the Stanley Cup. The next season he posted a career-best 111 points. This past year included his first 50-goal campaign, the 140 points and potentially league MVP honors.

“I really want to improve my game and come back better and produce more,” MacKinnon said recently on the Jeff Marek Show. “I just think there’s always things I can do to get better.”

MacKinnon defines everything by team success, and one championship leaves him short of the all-time greats, in his opinion. McDavid is still hunting his first title after coming perilously close earlier this week.

There is no argument about McDavid’s place atop the NHL, but MacKinnon has made a case as the No. 2 forward, ahead of amazing players like Matthews, Kucherov, Aleksander Barkov and Leon Draisatil.

“(MacKinnon and McDavid) are both very determined players. They have a gear of speed and explosiveness that is hard to play against, and it’s hard to coach against,” Hynes said. “They can just … happen. When you talk about building your team out here in the West, you talk about, ‘OK, who can defend against McDavid and MacKinnon?’”

MacKinnon won’t care as much about the individual awards or the 100-point seasons, but they will matter to hockey historians. His desire to win and already legendary work ethic could push him to defy aging curves.

Just being called the most exciting player to watch by the guy who coached Ovechkin, who could surpass Wayne Gretzky’s record of 892 career goals, is quite an achievement.

“Ovechkin had the same traits when he was younger,” Boudreau said. “(MacKinnon) is in the same mode. If you start hitting MacKinnon, he will hit you back. He does not shy away from it. He’s right at the top of the league in shot attempts every year. He’ll shoot from anywhere and at any time he can turn his stick and make it a pass. You get focused on his shot, which makes his passing even better.

“Alex is a wing, but Nathan is all over the place as a center. That’s the only big difference. They’re both big, physical forwards who don’t mind getting their nose dirty. Those two guys are a really good comparison.”

These are the type of players MacKinnon will be compared to as he continues to create an all-time legacy. Being named NHL MVP would only further cement his place.

Tale of the tape

Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon is one of three centers who are finalists for the Hart Trophy, the NHL MVP award voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Here’s how all three stack up:

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