Nathan MacKinnon Continues to Rank Among NHL's Elite Centers

MacKinnon is coming off another outstanding season for Colorado. He finished the 2025-26 season with 127 points, scoring 53 goals and 74 assists across 80 regular season games. He also led the NHL with a plus-57 rating and won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's goal-scoring leader.

That season continued what has become an incredibly consistent stretch for the Avalanche captain. MacKinnon has now recorded at least 111 points in each of the past four seasons, establishing himself as one of the most reliable offensive forces in the league. While his offensive production is usually what receives the most attention, his two-way impact has become increasingly difficult to overlook.

MacKinnon's plus-57 rating was the best mark in the NHL last season, and NHL Network highlighted his defensive impact when explaining why there was an argument for him to be ranked ahead of McDavid. MacKinnon has also recorded 150 power-play points over the past four seasons while posting an NHL-best plus-146 rating over that span.

The Case for MacKinnon at No. 1

That combination is what makes the No. 2 ranking particularly interesting. There is nothing controversial about putting McDavid first; the Oilers star led the NHL with 138 points last season and remains arguably the most dynamic offensive player in the sport. But MacKinnon's 127-point season, Rocket Richard Trophy and elite two-way play make the gap between the two players much smaller.

NHL.com's own Shawn P. Roarke argued before the rankings were released that MacKinnon had a case to take the top spot. "McDavid is considered by most the best player in the game and rightfully so, but Nathan MacKinnon might deserve the spot," Roarke wrote.

Ultimately, McDavid remained at No. 1, with MacKinnon followed by San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini, Leon Draisaitl and Aleksander Barkov.

Colorado has one of the best players in the world driving the offense, and he is entering the 2026-27 season still performing at an elite level. MacKinnon's playoff production makes his presence even more valuable. He currently owns a 1.30 points-per-game average in the postseason, which ranks fifth in NHL history among players with at least 100 playoff games.

The Avalanche will need MacKinnon to continue leading the way as they chase another Stanley Cup. With Cale Makar also being ranked No. 1 among NHL defensemen by NHL Network, Colorado has two players sitting at the top of their respective position rankings.