Dec 29, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) during the second period against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon Chasing Elusive Career Goal

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Deepanjan Mitra | Last updated Jan 3, 2026 12:36 PM ET

Nathan MacKinnon is having the best offensive season of his career at exactly the right time. The Colorado Avalanche superstar is tied with Connor McDavid for the NHL scoring lead with 70 points and sits on the verge of accomplishing something that's eluded him throughout his decorated career.

MacKinnon has never won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. At age 30, he's running out of time to check that box on his resume, but this season presents his best opportunity yet. The production he's putting up puts him on pace for over 130 points.

That's a benchmark that would place him among the elite seasons in modern NHL history. If MacKinnon maintains this pace and wins the Art Ross, he would become just the fourth player in NHL history to win his first scoring title after turning 30. That's rarefied company.

Historic Two-Player Race

The race speaks to both the difficulty of winning a scoring title and MacKinnon's sustained excellence into his thirties. What makes this season even more remarkable is that both MacKinnon and McDavid are on track to reach 130 points. That kind of dual excellence is exceptionally rare in the modern NHL.

This would mark just the fourth season in the past 36 years that multiple players reached that benchmark in the same campaign. The last time it happened was in the 2023-24 season, highlighting just how challenging it is for even one player to achieve those numbers, let alone two doing so simultaneously.

The competition between MacKinnon and McDavid has pushed both to elevate their games to historic levels. McDavid already has two Art Ross Trophies to his name and remains the standard for offensive excellence in the NHL. MacKinnon matching him stride for stride this season demonstrates how far the Avalanche center has come and how dominant he's become.

Legacy Implications

Winning the Art Ross would fill one of the few gaps remaining in MacKinnon's trophy case. He's won the Stanley Cup, Hart Trophy, and numerous other accolades, but the scoring title has remained elusive despite multiple seasons of elite production.

Nathan MacKinnon co-leads the League with 70 points and could become the fourth player in NHL history to win their first Art Ross Trophy after age 30.#NHLStats: https://t.co/eGI6vxNkOo pic.twitter.com/Qe2D8qm9pz
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) January 2, 2026

Adding that achievement at age 30 would cement MacKinnon's status among the greatest players of his generation. It would prove his offensive dominance wasn't just a product of playing alongside talented teammates but rather a reflection of his individual brilliance.

The race between MacKinnon and McDavid will likely go down to the final weeks of the season. Both players show no signs of slowing down, setting up what could be one of the most memorable scoring races in recent NHL history.

For MacKinnon, the opportunity is there. Now he just needs to maintain this historic pace and claim the trophy that's eluded him for so long.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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