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The Colorado Avalanche are coming off a Stanley Cup-winning campaign and will be looking to repeat as champions during the 2022-23 NHL season. In order to do that, they'll need their star players to be at their best, and that starts first and foremost with Nathan MacKinnon. After signing a brand new contract extension to make him the highest-paid player in the NHL, MacKinnon will now look to add a Hart Trophy to his resume, and this is the perfect season for him to do just that. The NHL's MVP award has eluded him in years past, with MacKinnon having finished as high as second place in Hart Trophy voting, but never winning the award.
The talent at the top of the NHL is some of the highest its ever been, so winning the Hart Trophy is an astounding accomplishment. Connor McDavid registered 123 points last year and came up short in the Hart Trophy voting behind Auston Matthews, who led the league with 60 goals. Had MacKinnon avoided injury last year, he too would likely have been in the conversation.
With all that in mind, we're set to dive into why Nathan MacKinnon will take home the Hart Trophy in the 2022-23 NHL season.
3 reasons Nathan MacKinnon will win Hart Trophy in 2022-23
3. A clean slate of health
MacKinnon's chances at contending for the Hart were slashed last year when he went down with injury. In total, MacKinnon missed 17 games during the 2021-22 season, and when he was active and on the ice, he was producing out surreal levels.
Across 65 games, MacKinnon registered 88 points, including 32 goals and 56 assists. His numbers were tremendous and he showed just how dominant he can be at full strength with his unique blend of speed and strength. Getting a full 82-game season under his belt in 2021-22, or close to it, should enable MacKinnon to force his way back into the Hart Trophy conversation, as his play is simply too enticing to ignore when he's on the ice. If he can avoid missing significant time to injury, MacKinnon should have the Hart Trophy in his reach.
2. Surrounded by talent
While Nathan MacKinnon is undoubtedly a superstar in his own right, he shares the ice with some of the best players in hockey in teammates such as Gabriel Landeskog, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen. Having stars like those guys on his line simply makes the game easier for MacKinnon. Defenses have to keep close tabs on all of their attacking options which enables MacKinnon to have more spacing with the puck and create more plays off of it.
There's a reason the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup last year, and while MacKinnon was a major factor, his teammates are what help him be the star he is. MacKinnon loves to shoot the puck, and he's elite at creating goalscoring opportunities for him to do just that. But he's just as willing to use his speed to burst into space and then find an open teammate to set up a shot on target. More often than not, those teammates are ready to answer the call, whether it be on the delivering or receiving end of a play created by MacKinnon.
1. Skating and Shooting ability
Not only is Nathan MacKinnon one of the most feared shooters and scorers in all of hockey, but he's also one of the fastest. MacKinnon's speed is impossible to notice when the Avs take the ice, and his ability to change speeds is just as impressive. MacKinnon can generate remarkable pace in a short amount of time in order to burst past a defender and get a shot on net, and he makes it look effortless.
It's hard to compare him to another player in the league because the way he plays is fairly unique. His blend of size, power, speed and elite work ethic make him a matchup nightmare for any team. After registering 299 shots in 65 games last year, MacKinnon made clear that he intends to fire the puck on the net as frequently as possible. He averaged 4.6 shots on goal per game last season, and it wouldn't be surprising to see that number increase in 2022-23. MacKinnon has yet to record a 100-point season in his NHL career, but that's set to change this year, and he could very well end up as the Hart Trophy winner when things are all said and done.
