CENTENNIAL, Colo. — One thing is for sure, Nathan MacKinnon is one of the hardest-working players in the NHL. So when the forward takes a day off, it makes headlines. Although it may not seem like much, the man deserves an extra day of rest sometimes. In fact, the entire Colorado Avalanche took a day off yesterday after a 5–3 win over the Seattle Kraken.

Based on the lines from practice Thursday morning, it might be maintenance. None of the centers moved up in the depth chart, leaving four skaters on the fourth line. MacKinnon played just over 23 minutes on Tuesday (23:30 to be exact), his ninth-highest ice time all season. All this tells me is that he is probably taking the day off

MacKinnon took over the points lead on Tuesday with his two goals and one assist. He is now on pace to score 70 goals this season after scoring his 27th and 28th goals. This is one of the many years that MacKinnon has been in talks for the Rocket Richard Trophy. The top-scoring player at the season’s conclusion earns the prize.

Logan O’Connor update

On Monday, we had reported that forward Logan O’Connor had taken to the ice for the first time in a month. He spent about 30 minutes on the ice doing various drills ranging from stick handling to all-out skating. On Thursday morning, head coach Jared Bednar gave Colleen Flynn from Mile High Sports an update. He told her that there is no update on O’Connor.

This is unfortunate news as we were hoping to get an update on a timeline for the Denver Pionneer. The Avalanche are doing so well that he does not have to rush coming back from his hip surgery, but this is worrisome. Will O’Connor make it back to the lineup before the Olympic break?