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Avs' Nathan MacKinnon Gets Unclear Injury Update: 'He's Dealing With...'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon missed his first game of the season on Thursday and it's not clear when he will return to the ice.

MacKinnon, in fact, may not return to the Avs lineup until the start of the playoffs, according to head coach Jared Bednar.

With just two games left in the regular season after Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, Bednar confirmed the MVP contender is nursing an undisclosed issue and may sit out the rest of the stretch run.

MacKinnon's absence broke a personal 209-regular-season-game streak. Bednar said rest played a part in the decision but made clear it wasn’t the only factor.

No Nathan MacKinnon tonight, but Martin Necas and Sam Girard are back. pic.twitter.com/2faYYjCX0x
— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) April 10, 2025

“He’s dealing with something,” Bednar said. “You get to this point in the year, all these guys are dealing with something. The guys that didn’t get the break, too, for the 4 Nations Face-Off. This has been a tough stretch of games since then. I think rest is part of it, though.”

As Bednar noted, MacKinnon played a major role in helping Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off last February and remains a top candidate for winning a second straight Hart Trophy (fourth-best odds at FandDuel).

MacKinnon’s absence comes as he also remains in a tight race for the NHL scoring title. With 116 points (32 goals, 84 assists), he is tied with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov atop the league leaderboard for total points and has two more assists than Kucherov's 82.

Bednar, however, downplayed any concern the player might have over personal accolades.

“I don’t think that individual accolades matter to him,” Bednar said. “His trophy case is huge. I think winning has always been the most important thing to him.”

The Avalanche's loss on Thursday dropped them to a 48-28-4 record and left Colorado with 100 points in 80 games, sitting third in the Central Division and already guaranteed a Stanley Cup playoffs berth.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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