Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic announced Tuesday that star center Nathan MacKinnon tested positive for COVID-19. MacKinnon is asymptomatic and will miss the team’s regular-season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.
MacKinnon’s status for Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues hasn’t been decided yet. Earlier on Tuesday, the team had announced that MacKinnon was being held out of practice due to a COVID-19 protocol-related issue.
MacKinnon is coming off a season in which he registered 65 points (20 goals and 45 assists) in 48 regular-season games. His 65 points were good for eighth in the league and MacKinnon also chipped in 15 points (eight goals and seven assists) during Colorado’s postseason run.
In eight NHL seasons, MacKinnon has accumulated 560 points (210 goals and 350 assists) and has recorded at least 93 points in each of the past three full NHL seasons. The four-time All-Star has won the Calder Trophy (2014) and the Lady Byng Trophy (2020) and finished in the top three of MVP voting for the Hart Trophy the past two seasons.
The Avalanche tied the Vegas Golden Knights with a league-best 82 points last season and were eliminated by Vegas in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in six games.
