'I’ve got nothing better to do': Nathan MacKinnon looks miserable at Worlds

The Avalanche’s playoff failures are beginning to weigh heavily on MacKinnon’s shoulders. The club was on top of the world in 2022… but for the past three years, it hasn’t even managed to get past the first round on a regular basis.

Losing to the Stars in seven games is hardly a catastrophe considering Dallas is a hockey machine. That said, for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations (and for a Nathan MacKinnon who wants to cement his place among the all-time greats), it’s not enough.

And when you consider how much the Mikko Rantanen trade seems to have hurt him, you have to wonder just how happy MacKinnon is in Colorado right now. No one sees him being traded, of course… but perhaps more and more, his frustration could be turning into a lack of confidence in the organization.

MacKinnon wants to add Stanley Cup wins to his roster, but instead finds himself playing Worlds with two guys nearing the end of their careers who have won it multiple times.

We’ll see how it all shakes out, but we have to wonder if the man who’ll be 30 at the start of next season is starting to feel that opportunities to win the big trophy once again are slipping through his fingers.

Because if that’s the case, maybe eventually, he’ll really get fed up with the Avalanche…

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