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Nathan MacKinnon

#29 · Centre · Colorado Avalanche

Born Sep 1, 1995 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, CAN (age 31) · 6'0", 200 lb · Shoots right · Drafted 1st overall in 2013 by COL (round 1)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2021-22
Hart Memorial Trophy MVP of Regular Season 2023-24
Ted Lindsay Award Most Outstanding Player as Voted by the NHLPA 2023-24
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Sportsmanship and Gentlemanly Conduct 2019-20

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2017-18. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Evgeni Malkin PIT · 98 P in 78 GP Nikita Kucherov TBL · 100 P in 80 GP Taylor Hall NJD · 93 P in 76 GP Claude Giroux PHI · 102 P in 82 GP Anze Kopitar LAK · 92 P in 82 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0501002013-14: 63 points6313-142014-15: 38 points3814-152015-16: 52 points5215-162016-17: 53 points5316-172017-18: 97 points9717-182018-19: 99 points9918-192019-20: 93 points9319-202020-21: 65 points6520-212021-22: 88 points8821-222022-23: 111 points11122-232023-24: 140 points14023-242024-25: 116 points11624-252025-26: 127 points12725-262026-27: 10 points1026-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2013-14 COL 82 24 39 63 20 26 241 57 0.77 $925K
2014-15 COL 64 14 24 38 -7 34 192 43 0.59 $925K
2015-16 COL 72 21 31 52 -4 20 245 46 0.72 $925K
2016-17 COL 82 16 37 53 -14 16 251 56 0.65 $6.3M
2017-18 COL 74 39 58 97 11 55 284 38 1.31 $6.3M
2018-19 COL 82 41 58 99 20 34 365 54 1.21 $6.3M
2019-20 COL 69 35 58 93 13 12 318 51 1.35 $6.3M
2020-21 COL 48 20 45 65 22 37 206 38 1.35 $6.3M
2021-22 COL 65 32 56 88 22 42 299 68 1.35 $6.3M
2022-23 COL 71 42 69 111 29 30 366 53 1.56 $6.3M
2023-24 COL 82 51 89 140 35 42 405 55 1.71 $12.6M
2024-25 COL 79 32 84 116 25 41 320 38 1.47 $12.6M
2025-26 COL 80 53 74 127 57 39 350 64 1.59 $12.6M
2026-27 COL 5 5 5 10 1 7 23 2 2.00 $12.604M
14 seasons Career 955 425 727 1152 230 435 3865 663 1.21

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2013-14 COL 7 2 8 10 2 4 18 1 1.43
2017-18 COL 6 3 3 6 -2 4 28 4 1.00
2018-19 COL 12 6 7 13 -4 2 57 15 1.08
2019-20 COL 12 8 14 22 11 8 50 13 1.83
2020-21 COL 10 8 7 15 6 2 38 15 1.50
2021-22 COL 20 13 11 24 11 8 117 28 1.20
2022-23 COL 7 3 4 7 8 4 40 9 1.00
2023-24 COL 11 4 10 14 -1 4 46 8 1.27
2024-25 COL 7 7 4 11 5 2 39 12 1.57
2025-26 COL 13 7 8 15 5 6 47 11 1.15
10 seasons Playoffs 105 61 76 137 41 44 480 116 1.30

2017-18 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
74 39 58 97 11 55 284 38 1.31 13.7 19:54

Contract

$6.3MCap hitends in 2023, then UFA
$65KCap dollars per point97 points in 74 games
$414KCap dollars per goal above replacement15.2 goals above replacement
$10.3MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$4MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 691 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Colorado Avalanche on Jul 8, 2016, as a new contract: 7 years and $44.1M, beginning in 2016-17. It runs through 2022-23, with 5 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2016-17 $6.3M $5M $0 $5M
2017-18 $6.3M $5.75M $0 $5.75M
2018-19 $6.3M $6.75M $0 $6.75M
2019-20 $6.3M $6.75M $0 $6.75M
2020-21 $6.3M $6.15M $0 $6.15M M-NTC
2021-22 $6.3M $6.85M $0 $6.85M M-NTC
2022-23 $6.3M $6.85M $0 $6.85M NMC

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Sep 20, 2022 Colorado Avalanche Extension 2023-24 to 2030-31 8 $100.82M $12.6M
Jul 8, 2016 Colorado Avalanche New contract 2016-17 to 2022-23 7 $44.1M $6.3M
Jul 9, 2013 Colorado Avalanche Entry-level 2013-14 to 2015-16 3 $11.325M $925K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2017-18 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2017-18 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+15.2Goals above replacement9th of 691 skaters, 8th of 451 forwards
+2.5Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+11.1Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 451 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+10.3 99th percentileEven-strength defence-3.5 5th percentilePower play+2.9 98th percentilePenalty kill+0.3 86th percentilePenalties+1.1 78th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

01020302013-142015-162017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

50.7Corsi for %1128 attempts for, 1099 against
+4.1CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
49.8Expected goals for %45.4 expected for, 45.8 against
+3.6xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.3Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
57.7Goals for %64 for, 47 against
102.9PDO10.6% shooting + 92.3% saves
347Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 600 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Gabriel Landeskog · Nathan MacKinnon · Mikko Rantanen64734:2851.052.347-26
Sven Andrighetto · Nathan MacKinnon · Mikko Rantanen2292:5248.240.71-6
Nathan MacKinnon · Mikko Rantanen · Tyson Jost2235:2156.953.11-2
J.T. Compher · Nathan MacKinnon · Mikko Rantanen328:1666.762.21-2

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

38Goalsnot counting empty-netters
23.8Expected goalsfrom 390 unblocked attempts
+14.2Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.97 expected goals per 60 minutes86th
Shot quality 6.1% chance per attempt11th
Finishing +14.2 goals above expected99thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 423 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0102030Game 20Game 40Game 60Goals 38Expected 23.8

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 7, 2018 vs STL W 5-2 1 1 2 2 0 6 0 23:30
Apr 5, 2018 @ SJS L 2-4 0 1 1 -2 0 5 1 22:14
Apr 2, 2018 @ LAK L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 2 2 2 20:48
Apr 1, 2018 @ ANA L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 3 0 22:02
Mar 30, 2018 vs CHI W 5-0 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 17:46
Mar 28, 2018 vs PHI L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 21:37
Mar 26, 2018 @ VGK L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 23:45
Mar 24, 2018 vs VGK W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 23:24
Mar 22, 2018 vs LAK L 1-7 0 1 1 -1 0 3 0 20:23
Mar 20, 2018 @ CHI W 5-1 0 2 2 1 0 4 0 22:12
Mar 18, 2018 vs DET W 5-1 2 1 3 3 0 11 0 18:05
Mar 16, 2018 vs NSH L 2-4 1 0 1 -2 4 6 0 22:59
Mar 15, 2018 @ STL W 4-1 2 1 3 4 0 3 0 19:31
Mar 13, 2018 @ MIN W 5-1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 19:43
Mar 10, 2018 vs ARI W 5-2 0 2 2 2 9 2 0 17:55
Mar 8, 2018 @ CBJ L 4-5 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 7 0 22:23
Mar 6, 2018 @ CHI L 1-2 (OT) 1 0 1 -2 0 3 0 20:18
Mar 4, 2018 vs NSH L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 8 0 23:26
Mar 2, 2018 vs MIN W 7-1 2 3 5 5 0 6 0 19:10
Feb 28, 2018 vs CGY W 5-2 1 1 2 1 0 8 0 20:30
Feb 26, 2018 vs VAN W 3-1 2 1 3 2 0 9 0 20:38
Feb 24, 2018 @ CGY L 1-5 1 0 1 -1 0 4 0 17:03
Feb 22, 2018 @ EDM L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 4 2 21:55
Feb 20, 2018 @ VAN W 5-4 (OT) 1 3 4 -2 2 6 1 23:37
Feb 18, 2018 vs EDM L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 4 1 22:20
Jan 30, 2018 @ VAN L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 2 2 2 3 11:44
Jan 25, 2018 @ STL L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 4 4 1 21:03
Jan 23, 2018 @ MTL L 2-4 1 0 1 -1 0 3 1 20:16
Jan 22, 2018 @ TOR W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 20:39
Jan 20, 2018 vs NYR W 3-1 1 1 2 3 0 3 3 19:05
Jan 18, 2018 vs SJS W 5-3 2 1 3 1 0 5 0 18:13
Jan 15, 2018 vs ANA W 3-1 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 19:52
Jan 13, 2018 @ DAL W 4-1 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 18:39
Jan 6, 2018 vs MIN W 7-2 1 2 3 1 0 6 0 16:54
Jan 4, 2018 vs CBJ W 2-0 0 1 1 1 0 7 0 16:38
Jan 2, 2018 vs WPG W 3-2 (OT) 1 1 2 2 0 3 1 19:47
Dec 31, 2017 vs NYI W 6-1 0 3 3 0 0 2 1 15:55
Dec 29, 2017 vs TOR W 4-3 (OT) 1 2 3 3 0 5 0 22:17
Dec 27, 2017 vs ARI L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 2 4 0 20:08
Dec 23, 2017 @ ARI W 6-2 0 0 0 0 15 1 0 08:14
Dec 21, 2017 @ LAK L 1-2 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 19:52
Dec 18, 2017 vs PIT W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 19:26
Dec 16, 2017 vs TBL L 5-6 2 1 3 0 0 7 1 21:01
Dec 14, 2017 vs FLA W 2-1 2 0 2 1 0 4 0 22:03
Dec 12, 2017 @ WSH L 2-5 0 0 0 -3 2 3 0 21:00
Dec 11, 2017 @ PIT W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 22:05
Dec 9, 2017 @ FLA W 7-3 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 21:28
Dec 7, 2017 @ TBL L 2-5 0 1 1 0 0 4 1 21:28
Dec 5, 2017 vs BUF L 2-4 2 0 2 -3 0 7 0 21:48
Dec 3, 2017 vs DAL L 2-7 0 1 1 -1 0 1 3 20:05
Dec 1, 2017 vs NJD L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 5 3 18:30
Nov 29, 2017 vs WPG W 3-2 (OT) 1 1 2 1 0 3 0 19:11
Nov 25, 2017 vs CGY L 2-3 0 1 1 0 4 5 0 21:36
Nov 24, 2017 @ MIN L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 23:54
Nov 22, 2017 vs DAL W 3-0 0 3 3 3 0 1 0 18:39
Nov 19, 2017 @ DET W 4-3 (OT) 1 1 2 2 0 3 1 23:31
Nov 18, 2017 @ NSH L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 18:55
Nov 16, 2017 vs WSH W 6-2 1 4 5 3 0 5 0 20:24
Nov 11, 2017 @ OTT L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 20:00
Nov 10, 2017 vs OTT L 3-4 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 21:14
Nov 5, 2017 @ NYI L 4-6 1 1 2 1 0 7 0 21:21
Nov 4, 2017 @ PHI W 5-4 (SO) 0 2 2 0 0 5 0 21:58
Nov 2, 2017 vs CAR W 5-3 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 21:22
Oct 28, 2017 vs CHI W 6-3 2 1 3 1 0 7 1 20:58
Oct 27, 2017 @ VGK L 0-7 0 0 0 -2 5 1 1 18:50
Oct 24, 2017 vs DAL W 5-3 0 0 0 -3 0 3 0 18:47
Oct 19, 2017 vs STL L 3-4 0 0 0 -3 0 3 0 21:47
Oct 17, 2017 @ NSH L 1-4 1 0 1 -1 0 1 0 17:57
Oct 14, 2017 @ DAL L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 3 1 18:36
Oct 13, 2017 vs ANA W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 04:29
Oct 11, 2017 vs BOS W 6-3 0 2 2 1 0 3 0 17:57
Oct 9, 2017 @ BOS W 4-0 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 17:43
Oct 7, 2017 @ NJD L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 18:49
Oct 5, 2017 @ NYR W 4-2 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 19:37