Nathan MacKinnon, now regarded as one of the NHL’s top players, revealed that he once worried the Colorado Avalanche might trade him due to his early struggles and lack of professionalism. Despite eventually leading the Avalanche to their first Stanley Cup in over two decades in 2022, MacKinnon admitted he was uncertain about his future in Denver during his initial seasons. His concerns ran so deep that he believed a trade was a real possibility. “I felt like I had to turn my career around, or they’d move on from me,” MacKinnon told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.
Selected first overall in the 2013 draft, MacKinnon had an impressive rookie season with 63 points in 82 games. However, he failed to reach that level of production over the next three years. By the summer of 2017, with Colorado finishing at the bottom of the league, MacKinnon was a four-year veteran still searching for his breakthrough. Though he earned his first All-Star selection that year, he admits he wasn’t living up to his potential.
“I wasn’t acting like a pro,” MacKinnon said. “I didn’t know how to take care of my body, improve my game, or do the little things off the ice that lead to success on it. I had a lot to learn.”
After making significant changes, MacKinnon broke out in the 2017-18 season, scoring 97 points in 74 games. Since then, he has consistently been one of the league’s most dominant players, averaging more than 1.4 points per game and earning the Hart Trophy last season. Recently, he joined the NHL’s 1,000-point club, reaching the milestone in just 857 regular-season games, making him the 100th player in league history to do so.
