Fansided

One player from each NHL team who should be on the NHL 18 cover

By David Rouben

Nov 2, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) prepares to throw pucks to the crowd after the game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) prepares to throw pucks to the crowd after the game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche fan holds a sign in reference to center Nathan MacKinnon (29) (not pictured) and center Matt Duchene (9) (not pictured) in the third period against the Arizona Coyotes at Pepsi Center. The Coyotes defeated the Avalanche 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche fan holds a sign in reference to center Nathan MacKinnon (29) (not pictured) and center Matt Duchene (9) (not pictured) in the third period against the Arizona Coyotes at Pepsi Center. The Coyotes defeated the Avalanche 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Colorado Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon

The Colorado Avalanche have lots of talented young forwards, and picking out just one of them was hard. But in the end, I went with the only first overall pick in franchise history.

In his first season in the NHL, Nathan MacKinnon proved to be a tremendous impact player. Right after he got drafted, the Avalanche went from second last in the league to third best. A lot of factors played into that drastic turnaround, including Semyon Varlamov’s superhuman efforts in net, but MacKinnon played a big part of it too.

Matt Duchene was the leading scorer that season with 70 points, but MacKinnon wasn’t far behind. He put up 24 goals and 63 points to lead all rookies. And even though Varlamov lost the Vezina to Tuukka Rask despite putting up better numbers, MacKinnon’s efforts were good enough to win him the Calder.

Once they got to the playoffs, though, the Avalanche were exposed as a bad possession team with a high shooting percentage that got bailed out by their goaltender. They lost in the first round to the Minnesota Wild, and missed the playoffs the next two seasons which led to Patrick Roy getting fired.

MacKinnon also hasn’t achieved the same success as he did during his rookie season, but he has proven to be a human highlight reel. His greatest attributes are his speed, he out-raced an Olympic speed skater, and his excellent stick-handling. That was never more on display than in his absolutely jaw-dropping overtime winner against Sweden:

Even at just 21, MacKinnon possesses great hockey IQ. He’s already a ton of fun to watch, and will be even moreso when he enters his prime. The Avs have a special player on their hands – just imagine what he can do when he’s led by a competent coach.

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