Where does MacKinnon rank among centers?

[stator]

I think if you want to evaluate MacKinnon based on his play this season so far, and say he's a top 20 and maybe top 15, you have to acknowledge Couture as well.

 

[Jeti]

Scheifele was older than MacKinnon is now at the start of 2015-16, Scheifele's first 50+ point season. Mack has 3 50+ point seasons, and likely would have had gotten 50+ every year if he hadn't hurt his wrist his sophomore year.

Since when is 50 points relevant in a discussion about top centers? You're just proving my point: MacKinnon has been relatively stagnant for years now despite his obvious talent. Not many rookies put up numbers like him and then fail to improve on it for so long. I think it's reasonable to say he needs to prove it a little longer than 20 games before he's considered better than guys who've been doing it for years.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I think if you want to evaluate MacKinnon based on his play this season so far, and say he's a top 20 and maybe top 15, you have to acknowledge Couture as well.

He's on pace for about ~65 points. Mackinnon is currently on pace for ~95 points.


Surely you can both recognize A) The massive difference between the two players seasons so far, and B) That it's only a 25 game sample size and both players likely dont reach the level they're currently projected to reach.

 

[AvsCOL]

Most Avs fans saw how well he played last year, it just so happened that the rest of the team decided not to play alongside him. The Avs had 165 goals last year, just about 2.0 goals per game. MacKinnon was involved in over 32% of their goals last season, and if the team had even scored and average amount of goals (~220) he would've eclipsed the 70 point mark.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Since when is 50 points relevant in a discussion about top centers? You're just proving my point: MacKinnon has been relatively stagnant for years now despite his obvious talent. Not many rookies put up numbers like him and then fail to improve on it for so long. I think it's reasonable to say he needs to prove it a little longer than 20 games before he's considered better than guys who've been doing it for years.

I don't disagree that he needs to show that he can keep up his current scoring pace before we anoint him a top 10 C. But, what I'm pointing out is that some really good hockey players didn't start performing like top players until they are older than MacKinnon is now, and weren't nearly as good/productive as Mack has been before they took that next step around 22 or 23 years old. If MacKinnon can take a similar step forward around 22/23 years old, like Scheifele/Kucherov/Gaudreau/Benn/Giroux/etc did, there's no reason he can't surpass many of the guys who are currently ahead of him on the list of top Cs. Only time will tell.

 

[Newusername]

Keep underrating him HF I’m glad to have him on my team

 

[VoluntaryDom]

the more I watch him and hear stats about him the more impressed I am. this kid is great.

 

[cgf]

Most Avs fans saw how well he played last year, it just so happened that the rest of the team decided not to play alongside him. The Avs had 165 goals last year, just about 2.0 goals per game. MacKinnon was involved in over 32% of their goals last season, and if the team had even scored and average amount of goals (~220) he would've eclipsed the 70 point mark.

Which was comparable to Tarasenko & Seguin's involvement rate in their team's total goals. Throw in only McDavid besting the second leading scorer on his team by a wider margin, and his #s last season were extremely impressive in context. It's just hard for people who didn't suffer through it to fully comprehend just how historically toothless the team was last season.

 

[maroon 6]

This guy is flying under the radar. It's crazy that this is his fifth season in the NHL but he's still so young. For example, he's only a couple months older than Draisatl and only a year older than Eichel. I think he will be a top 5-10 player one day.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Tons of skill, needs a good coach.

 

[Dominance]

He’s so damn good, but who cares about that. I can’t get over how fun it is to watch him play.

Also, is it almost time to start millions of threads comparing him to McDavid, Matthews, and Eichel? Truth be told, there’s only one player in that group I’d take over him without some really hard thinking, and even then, MacKinnon’s contract is just marvellous...

 

[VoluntaryDom]

He’s so damn good, but who cares about that. I can’t get over how fun it is to watch him play.

Also, is it almost time to start millions of threads comparing him to McDavid, Matthews, and Eichel? Truth be told, there’s only one player in that group I’d take over him without some really hard thinking, and even then, MacKinnon’s contract is just marvellous...

McDavid>Matthews>mack>eich moving forward imo

don't think that's even too debatable

 

[Tralfamadore]

I wouldn't trade him for Matthews. AM is about to get one of these absurd 10+ million dollar contracts. I'll take Mack for 6.3 thanks.

 

[Dominance]

I wouldn't trade him for Matthews. AM is about to get one of these absurd 10+ million dollar contracts. I'll take Mack for 6.3 thanks.

We wouldn’t trade you Matthews for him, either, if only out of fan dedication. But in my eyes, they’re really damn close. MacKinnon has a couple years on AM34, but then there’s the contracts as you pointed out...if Matthews gets around a 12.5 M contract...

 

[Tralfamadore]

We wouldn’t trade you Matthews for him, either, if only out of fan dedication. But in my eyes, they’re really damn close. MacKinnon has a couple years on AM34, but then there’s the contracts as you pointed out...if Matthews gets around a 12.5 M contract...

They're definitely the same tier of player. In that group directly under McDavid, Kucherov, Stamkos...

 

[Dominance]

They're definitely the same tier of player. In that group directly under McDavid, Kucherov, Stamkos...

*McDavid, Kucherov, Stamkos, Crosby.

 

[Tralfamadore]

*McDavid, Kucherov, Stamkos, Crosby.

O ya THAT guy

 

[shadow1]

Last 21 games: 14 G - 19 A

He’s a superstar.

 

[Makar Goes Fast]

the duchene trade appears to have been the best thing to happen mackinnon

 

[cgf]

the duchene trade appears to have been the best thing to happen mackinnon

5 points (1 goal & 4 assists) in his first 10 games. 28 points (14 goals & 19 assists) in 22 games since then.

 

[Avs71]

5 points (1 goal & 4 assists) in his first 10 games. 28 points (14 goals & 19 assists) in 22 games since then.

33 points since then

 

[Balthazar]

It's not just the points or the highlight reel goals, it's just how plain dominant he is on the ice.

 

[Muffin]

Highly debatable. Barkov is by far the better alround player.

MacKinnon's two way play is underrated. He outplayed Barkov offensively and defensively a couple nights ago in a head to head match up.
Defensive hockey can be taught but MacKinnon has tools Barkov doesn't. For example Barkov will NEVER score a goal like this:

 

[BKarchitect]

Filthy. When he is allowed to pick up speed through the neutral zone, he’s downright unstoppable right now.

He’s taking the Seguin turn in his career arc before our very eyes. No need to be coy or modest about it any more, MacK has everything you want out of a top 10 franchise center. Should be yet another lesson to not write off an unbelievably talented top pick at age 21. Looking at you, Eichel haters...

 

[Slap]

MacKinnon's two way play is underrated. He outplayed Barkov offensively and defensively a couple nights ago in a head to head match up.
Defensive hockey can be taught but MacKinnon has tools Barkov doesn't. For example Barkov will NEVER score a goal like this:

That's an odd thing to say considering Barkov is the superior puck handler and the goal wasn't even that amazing.

@2:17