Even after reaching career highs this season, Nathan MacKinnon is still striving to improve and find an edge on the competition.
The Colorado Avalanche centre recorded personal bests across the board with 51 goals and 89 assists to finish second in the league in scoring with 140 points. That’s 29 points more than his previous career high, which he set the year before.
While the 28-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., is also a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, the Stanley Cup is the one piece of hardware that keeps him motivated.
“I’m always trying to change things and a big motto for me is if you don’t change you’re not going to get better, so I’m always looking to tinker with my routine and things off the ice,” MacKinnon said Tuesday during a media availability. “I have great people around me that help a ton. It worked out on the ice this year but always looking to get better. The year’s over, we didn’t win. The goal is to win Cups and definitely we’ll try to be better next year.”
The Avs upended the Winnipeg Jets in five games to open the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but their run came to a halt in the second round at the hands of the Dallas Stars. Although it’s been just over a month, MacKinnon still hasn’t gotten over the series that ended with a double overtime loss in Game 6.
“Even after being nominated for a couple trophies, end of the season definitely put a sour taste in my mouth,” said MacKinnon, who had four goals and 10 assists in 11 playoff games. “I couldn’t find a way to produce as much as I needed to, to help the team win, and definitely a ton of motivation to just even get better to be able to really come through when I needed to.
“Even after the nominations, it’s still not a good way to finish the season. I still want to be playing right now and just want to keep testing ourselves against the best in the league. That was a great team, a deep team, they kind of had our number that series. A lot of close games but just couldn’t find a way to get it done.”
Nutrition is a key component as MacKinnon aims to improve and it’s something that has been instilled in him since he was a kid. MacKinnon said he’s very selective and super careful about what he puts in his body and it’s why he felt comfortable joining longtime trainer Andy O’Brien as a founding member for his new sports drink, CWENCH Hydration.
“I trust him with my whole career,” said MacKinnon, who has worked with O’Brien since he was 15. “I do train with him every summer. I get a lot of my ideas from him. He’s taught me a ton about nutrition and health over the years. He’s not just a strength coach, he’s a real genius in his field. It’s made me very comfortable committing myself to a health brand, so definitely very healthy and it’s been going great.”
“There’s definitely different layers to this brand,” he added. “It’s not just the drink, there’s a supplement line I’m pretty passionate about as well amongst other things.”
Considering MacKinnon plays in Denver, staying hydrated is key in the Mile High City.
“Hydration is the low-hanging fruit I think everyone needs to take seriously,” MacKinnon said. “It can get overlooked but in honesty, if you’re not hydrated you’re not going to perform well. Definitely something super important at high altitude. You feel it if you’re not really careful with how you’re preparing for the game and definitely something to take seriously.”
MacKinnon is looking forward to attending the NHL Awards next week in Las Vegas and keeping tabs on the free agent frenzy that’ll follow on July 1.
“I’m a hockey fan like everyone else and I love watching TV all day and seeing where guys go, how much they get,” he said. “I feel like there’s a lot of trades, same thing with the draft. It’s fun. It’s interesting to see where guys want to go and for what reasons. Hopefully we can keep some guys, add some guys, it’s always interesting that way.”
The Avalanche are also hoping to have back captain Gabriel Landeskog, who hasn’t played since they won the Stanley Cup in 2022 due to a right knee injury. Landeskog underwent cartilage transplant surgery last year and briefly skated with the team in January as he aims to return next season.
“We miss him a ton,” MacKinnon said. “He’s our captain. The year we won, he was an animal out there. I know he’s rehabbing and he’s got great people around him giving him good information. Just hoping and praying that he comes back next season. We miss him on the ice, off the ice. It’s tough to win without a guy like that.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off — featuring Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — is also on tap next year. Although MacKinnon has played with longtime friend and fellow Cole Harbour native Sidney Crosby before at a world championship, he’s excited about the possibility of teaming up together in a best-on-best tournament.
“I’d love to play with him on a line, gladly play wing, I think that’d be pretty cool,” MacKinnon said. “I think we’d have pretty great chemistry out there. Definitely talked about that, talked about the lineup, it’s exciting. We’re hockey fans like everyone else. It’s always fun to play with the best players as well.”