Nathan MacKinnon may not have won MVP at the NHL Awards on Wednesday, but he didn’t leave empty-handed.
The Avalanche’s star center was named to the league’s 2017-18 second all-star team, his first appearance on the year-end squad.
MacKinnon, 22, had career highs last season in goals (39), assists (58) and points (97), leading Colorado to its first playoff berth since 2014. He is the first Avs player to be named to either the first or second team since goaltender Semyon Varlmov earned second-team honors after the 2013-14 season.
The first team consisted for Edmonton center Connor McDavid, Tampa Bay right wing Nikita Kucherov, New Jersey left wing Taylor Hall, Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman, Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty and Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.