Nathan MacKinnon Sets Avalanche Franchise Record, Wins Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2024

The question of whether Nathan MacKinnon is the best player in Colorado Avalanche history sits at the center of an ESPN feature that frames the franchise’s modern identity through the year 1995, when the Quebec Nordiques relocated to Denver and became the Avalanche.

“DENVER -- If 1995 served as a benchmark in the history of the Colorado Avalanche franchise geographically, it's also the year one of the most defining players in franchise history literally entered the scene”

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ESPN notes that the Avalanche won a Stanley Cup in their first season behind Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy, and it ties that early success to later franchise milestones.

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The article also points to the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players of All Time list in 2017, where Sakic, Forsberg and Roy were named, and it traces how the talent pipeline in Denver produced players such as Ray Bourque, Teemu Selanne, Rob Blake and Paul Kariya.

ESPN describes lean years and says that hardship “set the stage for them to draft Gabriel Landeskog, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen and MacKinnon,” positioning MacKinnon as the current focal point of the franchise’s all-time discussion.

It then anchors the debate in MacKinnon’s awards and record-setting production, stating that he set “a new single-season franchise record for the most points en route to winning the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award in 2024.”

ESPN also emphasizes that MacKinnon rejected the notion that he is already the franchise’s greatest player, even as it notes he became only the second Avs player to win both awards in the same season, with Sakic being the first in 2001.

Former Avalanche player John-Michael Liles, an analyst on the team’s broadcast, is quoted by ESPN saying, “There's a lot of records that Joe Sakic has with the Avs that we didn't think would be broken,” and adding, “And now all of a sudden, you see Nathan MacKinnon start to break some of these records or creep up on some of these records.”

On the ice, the debate over MacKinnon’s place in Avalanche history played out in a specific late-season matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, where the Colorado Avalanche won 2-1 on Monday night.

WRAL, citing AP, reports that Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in the shootout and that the Colorado Avalanche beat Edmonton 2-1 on Monday night.

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The game took place in Edmonton, Alberta, and WRAL’s AP account specifies that the Avalanche had “won three of four overall and seven straight road games,” while also noting that Edmonton had lost four of five.

WRAL says Sam Malinski scored in regulation for the NHL-best Avalanche, and it places Connor McDavid’s impact in the same narrative by reporting that McDavid scored his 48th goal for the playoff-bound Oilers.

The WRAL/AP recap also provides the goaltending numbers, stating that Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves for Colorado and that Edmonton’s Connor Ingram also stopped 30 shots.

In the shootout, WRAL reports that McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored in the first two rounds for Edmonton, while Valerie Nichushkin and Martin Necas replied for Colorado.

WRAL then describes the decisive sequence by saying, “Wedgewood then stopped a wrist shot by Jack Roslovic, opening the door for MacKinnon's game-winner.”

The same WRAL/AP report lists absences as the teams prepared for the playoffs, saying the Avs were missing Nazem Kadri (finger), Cale Makar (upper body) and Josh Manson (upper body), while the Oilers remained without forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, though both resumed skating with the team on Monday.

The Canadian Press version of the same Monday night game, carried by Pique Newsmagazine, adds a different layer of detail by listing the Avalanche’s record and emphasizing the context of the shootout winner.

“Avalanche vs Oilers Prediction, Prop Picks & Odds (Apr”

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Pique reports that Nathan MacKinnon scored the shootout winner as the Colorado Avalanche came away with a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, and it identifies Shane Jones, The Canadian Press, as the author of the game story dated April 13, 2026.

It states that Sam Malinski scored in regulation for the league-leading Avalanche (53-16-11), which it says had won three of their last four overall and seven straight road games.

Pique’s recap also repeats the injury picture, saying the Avs were missing Nazem Kadri (finger), Cale Makar (upper body), and Josh Manson (upper body), while the Oilers remained without Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, though both resumed skating with the team on Monday.

It again credits Scott Wedgewood with 30 saves and Connor Ingram with 30 shots stopped, and it places Connor McDavid’s response in regulation by saying McDavid replied for the Oilers (40-30-11).

Pique includes a “KEY MOMENT” description that says Edmonton tied the game 1-1 with 4:11 remaining in the middle frame as a rebound came back to McDavid and he blasted his 48th in from a tough angle.

It also adds a “KEY STAT” by saying, “Colorado forward Brock Nelson played in his 1000th game, becoming the seventh player from the 2010 NHL Draft to reach the mark.”

The story further ties the MacKinnon-centered narrative to other milestones by noting that Martin Necas still needs one point to reach 100 for the first time in his career and that only four Avalanche players have ever hit the century mark—Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

In the same report, the Oilers’ season chase is quantified by saying McDavid leads the league with 134 points and needs just one more to become the seventh player in league history to hit 135 in a campaign at least twice, alongside Wayne Gretzky (12 times), Mario Lemieux (five), Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne and Steve Yzerman.

While the game itself was already decided on Monday, Sports Betting Dime framed the same Avalanche-Oilers matchup as a late-season Western Conference tilt with specific odds, prop targets, and a schedule anchored to April 13, 2026.

It describes the clash as the Avalanche and Oilers “clash in a battle between two teams bound for the postseason,” and it says “Puck drop for this late-season tilt is scheduled for 7:30 PM MT / 9:30 PM ET Monday, April 13th at Rogers Place in Edmonton.”

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The betting preview positions the Avalanche as a road favorite and claims the Avalanche had “already clinched the Presidents’ Trophy and the top overall seed in the West,” while it describes the Oilers as “home underdogs” in the NHL odds.

Sports Betting Dime’s “Best Game Bet” is “Avalanche Moneyline (-120 at FanDuel),” and it supports that pick by stating “the Avalanche are a dominant 12-1 on the road over their last 13 games.”

It also offers a “Best Total Bet” of “Under 6.5 Goals (+100 at Caesars),” and it says “For Colorado, the over has failed to hit in each of their last five contests” and “Edmonton’s offense has similarly trended downward at Rogers Place, with the under cashing in each of their last four home tilts.”

For player props, the preview targets Nathan MacKinnon with “Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-128 at FanDuel)” and says “Nathan MacKinnon is the engine that drives the Avalanche offense, ranking third in NHL scoring with 126 points.”

It also sets a Connor McDavid prop of “Over 1.5 Total Points (-120 at DraftKings),” and it claims “He’s leading the NHL Art Ross Trophy race with 133 points.”

The betting piece includes an injury report section that lists Cale Makar (D) – Upper Body: Status: Out; Nazem Kadri (C) – Finger: Status: Out; and Josh Manson (D) – Upper Body: Status: Day-To-Day, while listing Leon Draisaitl (C) – Lower-Body: Status: Out and Zach Hyman (LW) – Undisclosed: Status: Out for Edmonton.

It also provides a “Top Player Props to Target” section and a “Game Info” block that repeats the date and venue details, including “Location: Edmonton, Alberta,” and it names “Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show.”