MacKinnon finished his fifth professional season with career highs in every scoring category, and he did it while playing in 74 games, missing eight outings with an upper-body injury in February.
He finished fifth in league scoring with 97 points, which was the most by an Avalanche player since hall-of-famer Joe Sakic reached 100 in 2006-07. His 39 goals were also among the NHL's best, tied for ninth overall, and it was the most markers by a Colorado skater since Milan Hejduk's Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy-winning, 50-goal campaign in 2002-03.
The forward averaged 1.31 points per game, trailing only Connor McDavid, who had 1.32 and a torrid stretch to close the regular season for his non-playoff-bound Edmonton Oilers.
"It's hard to express everything he's done for our team." Bednar said prior to the Avs' playoff-clinching victory last Saturday against the rival St. Louis Blues. "He's the driving force to our offense, everybody knows it. He's has been extremely consistent, him and his linemates. Really our whole team for that matter, they've been pretty good."
On home ice, the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native was nearly impossible to stop. With the visiting team not having the opportunity to ice a favorable matchup, MacKinnon unleashed an offensive output at Pepsi Center that hadn't been seen since Sakic commanded the game at the arena on Chopper Circle.
In 39 home contests, the 22-year-old recorded 67 points (27 goals and 40 assists)--the same production as Sakic had during his MVP and Stanley Cup-winning campaign in 2000-01 (an Avalanche record). It was the most points by an NHL player in his own barn since Evgeni Malkin had 67 in 2011-12 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.