Not many players could make a town think about adding a name next to Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby's on its welcome sign, but MacKinnon might one day force his and Crosby's hometown of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, to do just that.

MacKinnon, taken by the Colorado Avalanche with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft -- just as Crosby had been eight years earlier by the Pittsburgh Penguins -- had a breakout season in 2017-18, finishing fifth in the League with 97 points (39 goals, 58 assists) in 74 games. He was a finalist for the Hart Trophy, given to the NHL's most valuable player. He helped Colorado return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after it finished last in the NHL in 2016-17, then had six points (three goals, three assists) in six games against the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference First Round.

In 2019-20, MacKinnon finished fifth in the NHL with 93 points (35 goals, 58 assists) in 69 games and won the Lady Byng Award, given to the player who best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability. He also scored 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 15 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and was leading all players in postseason scoring when the Avalanche were eliminated in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round.

MacKinnon's 13 goals in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs shared the NHL lead with Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers. He was the third different player in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history with as many in a single postseason, joining Joe Sakic in 1996 and 2001, and Claude Lemieux in 1997. MacKinnon opened the playoffs with a four-game goal streak and had a hat trick in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round. He scored five goals from the Western Conference Final to the Stanley Cup Final, four that were in tying or go-ahead fashion, to win the Cup for the first time.

MacKinnon made his NHL debut with the Avalanche on Oct. 2, 2013; at 18 years and 31 days, he was the youngest player in franchise history. His two assists sparked Colorado to a 6-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks.

At season's end, MacKinnon led all rookies in assists (39) and points (63), and was tied for the most goals (24). He was an easy winner of the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie and set a record as the youngest player to win the award (18 years, 224 days).

MacKinnon enjoyed an equally successful postseason. His three assists in Game 1 of Colorado's first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild made him the first rookie to have three points in his postseason debut, but playoff success was nothing new to MacKinnon; he led Halifax to the Memorial Cup in 2013 and was the tournament's leading scorer (13 points) and MVP.

MacKinnon got his 700th NHL point in Colorado's 3-2 win against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 24, 2023. He earned his 100th playoff point with an assist in Game 7 of the 2023 Western Conference First Round, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken that ended the Avalanche's reign as Stanley Cup champions. It was the sixth-fewest postseason games in NHL history needed to reach the mark (Wayne Gretzky, 46; Mario Lemieux, 50; Jari Kurri, 67; Mike Bossy, 74; Crosby, 75).

The following season, MacKinnon put together a 35-game home point streak (77 points; 29 goals, 48 assists), the second-longest in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky's 40 with the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89. He finished second in the NHL with 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists) in 82 games and won the Hart Trophy voted as NHL most valuable player for the first time and the Ted Lindsay Award that goes to the most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players’ Association.

MacKinnon played for Canada the 4 Nations Face-Off during the 2024-25 season. He scored the first goal of the first best-on-best competition since the World Cup of Hockey 2016, 56 seconds into the opening period of a 4-3 overtime win against Sweden on Feb. 12. He was named the tournament's most valuable player, finishing with a tournament-best four goals and a plus-4 rating, to help Canada to the 4 Nations championship when it defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime. MacKinnon became the third Canadian to average at least a goal per game at an NHL international tournament, after Lemieux (1987 Canada Cup) and Mike Bossy (1981 Canada Cup).

MacKinnon had the secondary assist on a goal by Artturi Lehkonen 31 seconds into the third period of Colorado's 3-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Denver on March 10, 2025, for his 1,000th NHL point. It made him the 100th player in NHL history to reach the milestone, and the third to do so in franchise history, joining Sakic (1,641) and Peter Stastny (1,048). He was also the first player from his draft class to hit the 1,000-point mark and the 17th No. 1 pick to do so.

He helped Team Canada win silver at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and became the Avalanche's all-time points leader since the franchise relocated to Denver in 1995-96 in a 4-1 season-opening win against the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 7. 2025. MacKinnon had the primary assist on Martin Necas' goal 48 seconds into the second period for his 1,016th point (367 goals, 649 assists) in 871 games to break a tie with Sakic (1,015 points in 870 games), who is the franchise leader with 1,641 points. He was also the fifth player in NHL history to have multiple assists in at least six season openers, joining Jaromir Jagr (seven games), Adam Oates (seven), Ray Bourque (six) and Dale Hunter (six), and finished the 2025-26 season with an NHL-high 53 goals with 127 points (third) to earn his fifth Hart Trophy nomination.

MacKinnon had two assists in his 900th NHL game, a 4-3 shootout loss at the Nashville Predators on Dec. 9, 2025. He joined Connor McDavid (2019-20 to 2022-23), Sidney Crosby (2012-13 and 2013-14) and Mario Lemieux (1995-96 and 1996-97) as the fourth player in the past 30 years to be the NHL’s first 50-point scorer in consecutive seasons (outright or tied). He scored his 400th NHL goal in a 6-1 win against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 21, 2025, becoming the first player from the 2013 Draft Class to reach the milestone. MacKinnon's assist in a 4-1 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 25, 2026, made him the third player in Avalanche/Nordiques history with five consecutive 50-assist seasons (Peter Stastny, nine from 1980-81 to 1988-89; Sakic, five from 1989-90 to 1993-94).

MacKinnon led the NHL with 53 goals in 2025-26 to win his first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy and the second in Avalanche/Nordiques history after Milan Hejduk (50 goals) in 2002-03. His 39 goals after Nov. 8 led the League and helped Colorado to the No. 1 offense (3.63 goals per game) and the Presidents' Trophy for the best record in the regular season (55-16-11, 121 points).