Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon to miss game against Canucks; could sit out rest of regular season

The Colorado Avalanche will be without Nathan MacKinnon on Thursday versus the Vancouver Canucks as the superstar center rests ahead of the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Beyond Thursday’s contest, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar left open the possibility that MacKinnon may take maintenance days for the remainder of the regular season schedule – Saturday versus the Los Angeles Kings and Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks – but noted that the decision to play or rest will be made by MacKinnon, per Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports.

Through 79 appearances with the Avalanche this season, MacKinnon has racked up 32 goals and 84 assists for 116 points, the third-straight season in which he has reached triple-digit production, while also putting him tied for top spot with Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov in the Art Ross Trophy race.

Originally chosen atop the 2013 NHL Draft, the 29-year-old native of Halifax, N.S., has seen 870 career contests over 12 seasons with the Avalanche in which he has amassed 367 goals and 648 assists for 1,015 points.

On the verge of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, MacKinnon returns to the postseason where through 88 prior contests he has collected 114 points, highlighted by his 13-goal, 11-assist showing through 20 games in 2022 en route to a Stanley Cup championship.

While MacKinnon will not play Thursday, the Avalanche will see the return of fellow forward Martin Necas who had missed the past three games due to an upper-body ailment. Since joining the Avalanche in late January, the 26-year-old Czech has neared point-per-game production with 11 goals and 15 assists coming in 27 appearances.

For the Avalanche, on the season the club sits third place in the Central Division with a 48-27-7 record and 100 points. The Avalanche have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past seven seasons.