‘Can’t help it’: MacKinnon’s competitive fire still raging for Colorado Avalanche

TORONTO — Cale Makar joked his teammate just wanted to demonstrate some off-season training.

The Colorado Avalanche experienced a disappointing end to the 2025-26 campaign, one that included the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular-season record and culminated with a four-game sweep in the Western Conference final at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Nathan MacKinnon had some anger to let out.

Colorado’s intense star centre dropped the gloves twice in the first two weeks of the schedule when play resumed this fall. It wasn’t necessarily about sending a message. That’s just how MacKinnon is wired.

“He definitely can be emotional like that sometimes and let it out,” Makar said before adding with a smile: “Maybe he was working on his fighting over the summer and just wanted to test it out a bit early. But no, he’s a guy that’s going to show that passion all the time.”

MacKinnon said stoking the fire is required to be at his best.

“It gets me ready to play,” said the 31-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., who has 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points through 19 games to sit fifth in league scoring. “Away from the rink, just kind of drives me to do some things to get ready to go.

“But it’s a fine line.”

The Avalanche sat second in the Central Division with an 11-6-2 record entering Wednesday’s action, which puts them on a 106-point pace. Colorado was tied for top spot with an average of 4.11 goals for per game, but also in the middle of the pack with 3.05 against.

Head coach Jared Bednar said his group has already been through multiple phases through the first six weeks of 2026-27.

“Started out playing some pretty good hockey,” he said. “When we were good, we were really good, but had trouble putting together a full 60 minutes. It was almost period by period … when we were bad, (we were) pretty bad.”

“We’ve been OK,” MacKinnon added. “We have some room to improve.”

The NHL’s top goal-scorer in 2025-26 and a Stanley Cup champion in 2022, last spring’s end still gnaws.

“The higher expectations, the harder it is when you lose,” said the six-foot, 200-pound forward. “When you expect to win it, and you don’t, it’s very disappointing.”

Bednar said MacKinnon — the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award winner in 2023-24 as NHL MVP voted on by both the Professional Hockey Writers Association and the NHLPA, respectively — has learned how to better harness his burning desire to win.

“Channels his emotions better now,” said the coach. “He’s still an emotional guy. I love that. The game has to be played with passion and emotion on both sides of the puck, and on a nightly basis. He brings that, but I think he’s able to channel it into a way that helps him be more productive now than he was before.

“Instead of it being frustration, it’s just added to his drive.”

Avalanche centre Nazem Kadri said MacKinnon, who was also part of Canada’s roster that came home with silver from February’s Milan Cortina Olympics, is one of the most competitive people he’s come across.

“Can’t help it,” Kadri said of the Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year in 2013-14. “He holds himself to a tremendously high standard. He’s always putting pressure on himself to perform, and others have gotta follow suit. That’s what great teams do.”

Bednar doesn’t mind when MacKinnon boils over. Colorado just doesn’t want it happening too often.

“That’s just him playing hard,” Bednar said of the early-season fights. “He’s a physical guy offensively. Guys will push back on him at times, and if that’s something he feels like he needs to do, so be it.

“In those games, in those moments, it’s something that probably our team needed. I think he sees it as a little bit of leadership. Our team took it that way and responded”

UGLY START

The Vancouver Canucks are in the middle of a rebuild. They’re also in the conversation for modern NHL ineptitude.

Vancouver, which has one regulation victory and has lost 10 of its last 11 games, currently owns a 3-16-1 record and a .175 points percentage.

The 1974-75 Washington Capitals finished with a .131 points percentage in that franchise’s inaugural season, while the expansion Ottawa Senators and second-year San Jose Sharks both finished with a 1.43 mark in 1992-93.

FILLING THE NET

Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl led the league with 18 goals in 19 games heading into Wednesday. Minnesota winger Kirill Kaprizov buried his 17th in the Wild’s 20th contest Tuesday, while Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier and Winnipeg Jets counterpart Kyle Connor were tied for third with 15 goals apiece.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press