Nathan MacKinnon - Rookie Season

[JLo217]

Outside of game one and the Washington game I haven't been to terribly impressed. Outside of several moments in each game he doesn't show much.

Overall for the number 1 overall pick i'm extremely underwhelmed and i've watched Monahan and Jone's play a few games as well.

I trust the Avs staff but Mack just looks flat out lost or confused to me half the time when he's on the ice. I trust the Avs staff on the pick but I don't think he's really showcased what he can bring just yet.

 

[Avsboy]

If he was on Florida right now he would have double the points playing on the first line with first line minutes without any restrictions. Probably a lot of defensive gaffs though. Roy is easing him in and he is learning slowly. The key is anticipating the play properly.

 

[tigervixxxen]

If MacKinnon had buried a few of his great chances the opinion on him would be completely different. He is a work in progress but he's a lot more than just a few flashy seconds a game. It is hard for me not to notice when he is on the ice, he's almost always contributing to the play. Everyone mentions when he has a bad facoff night but nights like last night he went 60% but that's never brought up. He needs to keep learning and he needs to get a few goals to go in so he can relax and get his confidence back up. So he is not immune to criticism but I think some people were expecting to see the Halifax show on ice in Denver.

 

[OldSchoolAvalanche*]

Love his game. It's a work in progress cant wait to see the finished product

 

[Freudian]

Lowered expectations are the key to true satisfaction.

 

[the_fan]

Mackinnon is a bust








sorry, had to do it

 

[member 116861]

Hopefully it works.

 

[the_fan]

Hopefully it works.

I truly believe it will. Did with Duchene.

 

[Freudian]

I truly believe it will. Did with Duchene.

Alternatively, it showed more about the poster than the player.

 

[cgf]

Yeah, but you were serious when you started this thread about Duchene...

 

[The Kingslayer]

Jones has more goals as a Dman shouldve drafted him

 

[the_fan]

Yeah, but you were serious when you started this thread about Duchene...

What makes you think I'm not serious about MacKinnon?

Every top draft pick is a potential bust unless his name is Crosby or Ovechkin.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Might as well trade this scrub before it's too late, just like we did with Duchene...oh, wait.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

DOn't blame me, I voted for kodos... I mean Drouin.

 

[avsfan09]

Lowered expectations are the key to true satisfaction.

No kidding. After reading some posts in this thread it makes you wonder if people remember what they were doing when they turned 18.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

No kidding. After reading some posts in this thread it makes you wonder if people remember what they were doing when they turned 18.

Yep. It's truly amazing what he can do while he is 18 years old. I feel like a loser.

 

[freeboy]

I keep thinking of Duchy, Staz, and Landy as rookies. Only Staz who came up from college was anywhere near nhl ready. They all have matured and let's hope Big Mac does the same. I've seen the last two games in person and he is very fast. His athleticism is not the question, but really how long will his growth curve be?

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I keep thinking of Duchy, Staz, and Landy as rookies. Only Staz who came up from college was anywhere near nhl ready. They all have matured and let's hope Big Mac does the same. I've seen the last two games in person and he is very fast. His athleticism is not the question, but really how long will his growth curve be?

My guess is as good as yours but I really like what Roy is doing with limiting his minutes (especially in the defensive zone and late in periods/games.) I think he understands that as talented as Nate is there is a huge amount of growth required for him to be a superstar in his own right and is trying his best to not put him in a situation where he can fail and potentially have his confidence shaken (ala Duchene under Sacco.)

If he continues with this course, I'd say we're looking at continued offensive creation but at a slower rate and a good year or three before he really takes over in his own right. I think it's probably the best move for the long run because he is going to be a work-horse and warrior for this team eventually. Injuries will allow him to briefly take on a larger role for several games but slow back down and let him develop further playing against the men at the highest level but under situations where he can be challenged, grow and has a shot at succeeding without blowing his confidence.

I'm impressed with his playmaking abilities. Much more than anything else. He's a fast as billed but his passing has been surprising. He's got the mind of an elite center in this league...it'll just take time for his body to catch up to it. I have no doubts it'll eventually do so...and on that day, it'll be good to be an AVs fan.

 

[Avsboy]

He's gotten better and better. I can see him producing beginning around the 30 game mark and not stopping from there.

 

[JLo217]

Aren't these concerns/impressions similar to what Stamkos had when he came into his 1st year? If I remember right he didn't exactly light it up.

Stamkos played in his first NHL game in Prague, Czech Republic, at the start of the 2008–09 season. The Lightning fell to the New York Rangers 2–1 and were eventually swept in Prague. He recorded his first point — a secondary assist — in his eighth game, which was against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.[7] Following the game, Stamkos commented that his hometown support was "louder than when the Leafs scored."[8] He scored his first goal the next game against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. On February 17, 2009, Stamkos recorded the first hat trick of his NHL career against the Chicago Blackhawks. Though Stamkos was heavily criticized for his lack of production during the first half of the season, in which he was limited to less than 10 minutes of ice time some games (largely due to a dispute among the head coach and upper management on how to approach the development of Stamkos in the NHL[citation needed]), he finished the season with 19 points in his final 20 games.[9] In his rookie season, Stamkos totalled 23 goals and 46 points, as well as a −13 plus/minus rating.

Like I said in my post earlier. Outside of those few games I haven't been impressed. I also said we likely haven't seen what he brings to the table. I think we'll see it, but maybe his growth will be similar to Stamkos. Haven't several people drawn similarities pre-draft?

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Aren't these concerns/impressions similar to what Stamkos had when he came into his 1st year? If I remember right he didn't exactly light it up.



Like I said in my post earlier. Outside of those few games I haven't been impressed. I also said we likely haven't seen what he brings to the table. I think we'll see it, but maybe his growth will be similar to Stamkos. Haven't several people drawn similarities pre-draft?

Stamkos went on a tear in the second half of his rookie year. I could see it from MacKinnon.

 

[Sheet]

I think people aren't realizing Monahan is putting up points because he IS their offense. We aren't relying Mack to be what Monahan has to be.

People heard the hype and expected a ppg rookie I think. Ten games in. I'm not concerned. I also wasn't concerned with duch, landy, or varly, or ej for that matter.

It might take Mack a few seasons even to piece it all together but when he does it'll be worth it. I don't get why people expect wondrous things out of a kid who literally made a jump from juniors to the nhl this early on. It baffles me.

Relax folks. Of course he's unimpressive right now. The kid has no clue what's going in.. gokart to a Ferrari take a adjustment.

 

[Bender]

He's gotten better and better. I can see him producing beginning around the 30 game mark and not stopping from there.

Yeah I'm gonna agree with Avsboy...wait, WHAT!??! ! (first time for everything )

I think he'll have a Stamkos-like progression. They are very similar and it took Stamkos a little while to get going and figure out what he can do and what he can't get away with anymore. In his rookie year, Stammer scored 27 of his 46 points in the last 30 games of the season so there was obviously a bit of a learning curve but when he figured it out he never looked back. It could be earlier with MacKinnon (better all around support) or later because less minutes could mean it will take him longer to get there, it's tough to call when but he will get there.

 

[jaems]

It might take Mack a few seasons even to piece it all together but when he does it'll be worth it. I don't get why people expect wondrous things out of a kid who literally made a jump from juniors to the nhl this early on. It baffles me.

Because it's easy to make comparison to other youngin's like Monahan, Hertl, and Jones or other phenomenal when they were young like Ovechkin, Malkin, or Crosby. In reality of course, most players need a few years of development. I honestly wouldn't be opposed to NM learning the defensive aspects of the game first as a third liner before honing his offense.

 

[A Shiny Zubat]

I agree with most thoughts here. With time and patience he'll figure it out. He has all the tools and two competent lines to take the pressure off him.