LOS ANGELES — Mikko Rantanen contemplated the prompt. He didn’t have a search engine or a stat sheet in front of him to consult. His answer would be based more on feel, from years of memories playing alongside his linemate.
The prompt: Sidney Crosby had recently suggested the 2022-23 season might be Nathan MacKinnon’s best. What say you, Moose?
“Obviously he’s had really good years,” Rantanen said. “I remember that 19-20 season. He was electric. The shortened season. He probably would have had 120 (points) that year maybe, if we played all the games.
“But it’s kind of his standard. Every year, you kind of think, ‘Is this his best year?’ again.”
MacKinnon is gearing up for his seventh playoff run with the Avalanche, but this time he has a regular-season monkey off his back. The franchise center reached 100 points for the first time in his 10-year career Tuesday in San Jose.
“I’m just happy that I got it out of the way,” MacKinnon told The Post.
He got it out of the way in grand fashion, with an overtime goal to top the Sharks 4-3 and push the Avalanche into first place in the Central division for the first time since Nov. 13. MacKinnon’s emphatic celebration after the breakaway reflected the significance of the moment for Colorado — but it was a layered performance, too. Was it on his mind when he scored that he had just reached 100?
“Definitely,” MacKinnon said. “I mean, I know where I’m at. Everybody knows how many points I have. But I think we’re trying to get first in our division. And scoring in overtime is always fun.”
MacKinnon didn’t need that milestone to earn high praise from Crosby, his friend and fellow Halifax native. Two weeks before MacKinnon reached the century mark, Crosby was in Denver with the Penguins. “He’s played at a high level for a long time, but I think this has got to be up there,” the future Hall of Famer said. “I’ve seen him do that in the playoffs. But this is pretty close to the best I’ve seen him play.”
As Rantanen identified, the question of MacKinnon’s best season is a loaded one. The reason he hadn’t hit 100 before this season was mostly bad luck and timing. In 2017-18, he missed eight games and finished with 97 points, a career-high at the time. The next year, he scored his 99th early in the second period of the 82nd game. It was his eighth point in the last seven games.
At 99 he remained.
Then came the season that stood out to Rantanen. MacKinnon had 93 points in 69 games — a 1.35 per-game pace. Then COVID-19 caused the league to shut down. The next season was shortened as well. MacKinnon finished with 65 points in 48 games, the exact same 1.35 PPG pace that would result in 110 points with a full 82 games.
Add another injury-shortened season (88 points in 65 games, once again 1.35 PPG), and you ended up with MacKinnon still searching for a 100-point season while nearing a decade as one of the NHL’s best players.
“I don’t think he really cares, honestly,” longtime teammate Erik Johnson said the day before MacKinnon cracked 100. “I just think he wants to win. And if he hits 100, he hits 100.
“I’m sure he’d like to because he’s this close. And will he be mad if he doesn’t? Yeah, I’m sure.”
MacKinnon was well aware of the buzz surrounding his milestone. Even during the suspenseful moments of overtime, coach Jared Bednar had it in the back of his mind — especially because MacKinnon’s 99 points coincided with Rantanen sitting at 49 goals.
“Everyone’s pretty aware of what those two guys are doing,” Bednar said.
A player’s best season doesn’t merely depend on point production in a vacuum, of course. But the case for this season as MacKinnon’s magnum opus is the sum of other factors. The physical demand has reached a career-high, with average ice time (22:19) exceeding the last three years’ minutes by 1:24. In his first decade, he surpassed 25 minutes in 13 regular-season games. He has done so 12 times this season, including five 26-minute games.
“Every day in practice when we play against those guys (MacKinnon and Rantanen), you’re like, ‘This sucks,’” defenseman Bo Byram said. “So I can’t imagine in a game setting when they’re revved up and going for it.”
MacKinnon also hasn’t relied on the power play for the bulk of his production. He is the only player in the NHL averaging more than a point per game at even strength (1.07). Johnson made a point to bring that up when considering MacKinnon’s best years.
“That says a lot right there,” the veteran defenseman said. “It’s hard to produce 5-on-5. So if you’re doing that the best, you’re clearly at the top of the ranks for sure.”
In fact, this will be the first time MacKinnon has eclipsed an even-strength point per game in his career, averaging 0.69 over his first nine years. Alex Ovechkin has never produced at that pace over a full season. Neither has Crosby when playing 45 or more games.
“He’s playing unbelievable,” said teammate J.T. Compher. “Especially at times when we’re missing guys, he’s really stepped up.”
That brings up the final, not as tangible element of MacKinnon’s season to measure against others. The Avs have been without captain Gabriel Landeskog’s voice all season, leaving the leadership onus on other veteran players and the assistant captains. MacKinnon is both of those.
“You just have to work at it,” MacKinnon told The Post. “Obviously I need to play well myself. That’s the most important thing to be a leader. You have to lead by example.”
So does MacKinnon agree with Crosby’s assessment? Does the Avalanche’s newest 100-point man feel like leading by example has resulted in him at his best?
“I think so. I feel good. I feel consistent,” MacKinnon said. “A lot of guys are having great years, but yeah, I feel pretty good this season for sure.”
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