Nathan MacKinnon, Best Player In The World? One Outlet Thinks So

Nathan MacKinnon is currently in a battle with Nikita Kucherov for the league lead in scoring, but despite all that he’s done this year, it’s difficult to find many people that would consider MacKinnon the best player in the world. Not in a world where Connor McDavid exists.

It seems the tide might be turning just a little bit.

On Tuesday, TSN released their list of the top 25 players in the NHL, and for the first time in 14 years, they went with someone not named McDavid or Sidney Crosby. Right now, they consider MacKinnon the best player in the world.

10 TSN experts were asked to rank the top 25 players in the league, and MacKinnon received seven first-place votes. McDavid received the other three. It’s entirely possible this changes before the end of the year, because McDavid is a freak and the Edmonton Oilers are, quite literally, unbeatable at the moment, but it’s a testament to how well the Colorado Avalanche superstar has played this season that he has moved to the top.

MacKinnon currently sits second in the league with 84 points, and is considered by many to be the favorite for the Hart Trophy at the moment.

The Avalanche are well represented in the top 10, as Cale Makar was ranked 5th, while Mikko Rantanen ranked 8th.

Do rankings like this mean much in the grand scheme of things? No, not really, but it just goes to show how much star power there is in Colorado right now. It’s an embarrassment of riches in this organization at the moment, and that’s why management will look to bolster the roster before the trade deadline.

Both MacKinnon and Makar will be present at the NHL All-Star festivities this weekend, and are Captain and Assistant Captain of one of the four teams. They’ll be joined at the All-Star game by fellow Avalanche teammate Alexandar Georgiev.