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Nathan MacKinnon undergoes MRI on foot

WHAT?!

By HardevLad
2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 28: A young fan reacts as Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche and Brent Burns #88 of the San Jose Sharks come in contact during the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena on January 28, 2018 in Tampa, Florida.
Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images

Colorado Avalanche fans got a bit of a scare on Thursday when Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported that Nathan MacKinnon had undergone an MRI on his foot and could be missing for the 2019 All-Star Game weekend in San Jose. As of right now, it is unclear whether MacKinnon will be able to participate in the weekend festivities, or even if this could keep him out of NHL games once the team gets back in February.

What we do know, is that MacKinnon will travel to San Jose and be a part of the weekend festivities off the ice. The rules for this — like most things in the NHL — are fuzzy. If MacKinnon has an injury and can’t play, there is still a chance he will be slapped with an automatic one-game suspension for missing the weekend. As a result, the team is playing it safe and sending MacKinnon anyway in order to prove that he’s not trying to get out of it to go on a vacation, like Alex Ovechkin usually does.

MacKinnon is one of the four All-Star captains this year, representing the Central Division alongside linemates Mikko Rantanen and Gabe Landeskog. This is MacKinnon’s third trip to the ASG and first captaincy appointment. It’s unclear who, if anyone, will replace MacKinnon on the roster, it’s really late in the process to ask a player of immense calibre to show up on short notice.

If not, at least we got Mikko and Gabe to look forward to and watch.