Penguins, Avalanche players to watch debated ahead of game Saturday

There will be no shortage of elite, attention-grabbing players on the ice when the Colorado Avalanche host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ball Arena on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, SN1, NHL LIVE).

The Avalanche (48-14-6) are the first team in the NHL to reach 100 points this season and are in the lead to win the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the best record in the regular season. They have five players averaging better than a point per game, led by center Nathan MacKinnon (1.35), who has scored 70 points (22 goals, 48 assists) in 52 games. They also have Cale Makar, who is among the favorites to win the Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the player voted the best defenseman in the NHL.
The Penguins (41-18-10) are third in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the New York Rangers. They have a core of captain Sidney Crosby, forward Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang, each of whom has won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2016, 2017) with the Penguins.
But the roster for each team runs far deeper when it comes to interesting players, particularly after each made moves before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline on March 21.
So who should be the focus of attention Saturday? We asked seven NHL writers for their opinion:

Sidney Crosby, Penguins

I'm going with the obvious choice here. Who wouldn't want to see the most decorated player in this game go up against the highly skilled Avalanche? Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has gone under the radar a bit this season, but the center has scored 71 points (25 goals, 46 assists) in 57 games, showing he's got plenty left in the tank. Crosby will average a point per game this season for the 17th time, joining Gordie Howe (17) and leader Wayne Gretzky (19) as the only players to accomplish that feat. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Nazem Kadri, Avalanche

Mark me as one of many who did not expect Kadri to be the leading scorer for the Avalanche this season. Yet here we are, with Kadri having scored 83 points (26 goals, 57 assists) in 65 games. The center's previous NHL career high was 61 points in 2016-17, and he's nearing his NHL career high for goals (32), which he scored in 2016-17 and 2017-18 for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kadri, who can become an unrestricted free agent after the season, is clearly motivated, by a lack of success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and for a new contract this offseason. He's doing everything the Avalanche need, with a determination that's impressive. Kadri was getting evaluated on Friday after appearing to get injured on Thursday. If he plays, I'll certainly be watching to see what he does against the Penguins. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Kris Letang, Penguins

I've been watching Letang play on a regular basis since he broke in as a full-time NHL player during the 2007-08 NHL season. The joy and recklessness the defenseman plays the game with has always been the hook for me. There is no color-inside-the-lines approach for Letang, and the results are vibrant and sometimes chaotic. Is there the potential for mistakes? You bet. But there is also the opportunity for the creation of the sublime. Nobody walks that line better than Letang, though Makar is following in his skate strides. It will be fun to watch them duel.-- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche

The center is one of the top five players in the NHL, so naturally he's worth watching in this game. MacKinnon was limited to 51 games through Thursday because of injury but continues to produce. MacKinnon, who has been a finalist in voting for the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player in three of the past four seasons, always seems to rise to the occasion when it matters most; only Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Mario Lemieux (1.61) have averaged more points per game in the playoffs than MacKinnon (1.38) among (minimum 50 games played). -- David Satriano, staff writer

Cale Makar, Avalanche

It doesn't matter to me who the opponent is: Every chance I get to watch Makar, I'm going to do it. He is having an outstanding season, one that could earn him his first Norris Trophy. He got his 50th assist in a 2-1 victory against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday and is the third defenseman in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to have at least that many in a season, joining Steve Duchesne (62 in 1992-93) and Ray Bourque (52 in 2000-01). Makar has scored 75 points (24 goals, 51 assists) in 64 games this season, second to Roman Josi (81) of the Nashville Predators among defensemen. I would love to see Makar play as a forward just once (please?) because he has the incredible skill to do so. But hey, he shows enough of that razzle-dazzle at defenseman, so I'll just enjoy watching whatever he does next there. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Josh Manson, Avalanche

It's a slightly unusual pick given the depth of skill here, but I'm eager to see how Manson is fitting into the lineup since being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on March 14. Manson is an experienced, physical defenseman who will likely be asked to do a little less than he was doing for the Ducks. His average ice time per game with Anaheim this season was 19:45; it was 16:30 with Colorado through seven games. But he is a key penalty-killer and will add to the Avalanche's defensive backbone when it becomes so important in the postseason. --- Tim Campbell, staff writer

Rickard Rakell, Penguins

Rakell continues to find his way with the Penguins, and it'll be interesting to watch him against a team with as much speed and mobility as the Avalanche. If the Penguins are going to get through the Eastern Conference and reach the Stanley Cup Final, they're going to need the forward to be the versatile goal-scorer he was for years with the Ducks before they traded him to the Penguins on March 21. This is a great test because the Eastern Conference is loaded with fast teams that like to attack like Colorado does. Putting a spotlight on Rakell in a game against the best team in the NHL could go a long way toward measuring the impact he can make.-- Dan Rosen, senior writer