Avalanche defend Nathan Mackinnon

Colorado Avalanche‘s Nathan Mackinnon is struggling to start off the season

Last season, Nathan Mackinnon was miles ahead of the rest of his NHL rookie class. He walked away from the season with 24 goals and a Calder Trophy; this season, he’s on a nine-game goalless slump.

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Of course, he isn’t alone. The Avalanche as a whole have only averaged 2.22 goals per game and were shut out in their first two games of the season to start things off on a horrifyingly bad foot. It isn’t just MacKinnon who’s in a slump; it’s the entire team.

Just nine games into the season, though, it seems that the Avalanche are quick to defend their 19-year-old teammate. According to NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk, no one is worried about how the sophomore player is performing.

“I think that’s a bunch of crap,” Matt Duchene told the Denver Post, in regards to allegations that the forward might be heading into a sophomore slump. “If he just keeps skating and working hard, he’s going to get one fluky goal and it is going to take off from there.”

He may have a -6 rating right now, but the forward has also pitched in with 4 assists for the Avalanche to start off the season. He’s a natural center who has been tossed between that position and the wing, as head coach Patrick Roy tries to figure out what combination of skaters is going to improve Colorado’s abysmal 2-4-3 record heading into November. The team even fell to the struggling Winnipeg Jets earlier Sunday, only managing to net one lone goal against their divisional rivals in a 2-1 loss in regulation.

Whether it is simply a rough start for Mackinnon or a rough start for his entire club, one thing is certain- if they don’t right themselves soon, Mackinnon could find himself teammates with wonderboy Connor McDavid this time next fall.

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