Avalanche Journal: Peter Forsberg on Nathan MacKinnon: “He’s better than me”

MONTREAL — Nathan MacKinnon has ascended to incredible heights over the past few seasons, and the reigning NHL most valuable player is building a resume fit for consideration among the best players in the history of the sport.

Don’t believe it? Just ask one of them.

“He’s better than me,” Avalanche legend Peter Forsberg told The Denver Post. “He’s been unbelievable. I watch Avalanche games and some games he doesn’t have a point, but he still has six or seven scoring chances. He can do everything. Obviously, he has the speed that nobody really has, except for (Connor) McDavid. He’s a horse, too, on the ice. He can play for a lot of minutes.

“… That turned out to be a pretty decent pick, I would say.”

Forsberg is in Montreal for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. He’s commentating on the tournament for Swedish television. He was in Denver earlier this season, and continues to keep tabs on the club that he helped win two championships.

For hockey fans of a certain age, Forsberg was similar to MacKinnon — an incredible blend of speed, skill and toughness that led to 885 points in just 708 career NHL games, a Calder Trophy, a Hart Trophy and induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Forsberg’s analysis is not that far-fetched. MacKinnon’s accomplishments have placed him on a track towards all-time great status. It was still a bit of a shock for the current Avs superstar to hear that quote relayed to him Saturday at the Montreal Canadiens training facility ahead of Canada’s titanic showdown with the United States.

“No, no, no … no. I don’t think so,” MacKinnon told The Post. “If it wasn’t for injuries, who knows where Peter would be among the all-time greats. One of the best points per game ever. His highlight package is better than maybe anyone in history. It’s like 10 minutes of him just being a beast.

“It means a lot. I think it’s more that he likes my game and thinks highly of me, which is a huge honor. He was one of my favorite players growing up.”

MacKinnon is going to reach 1,000 points soon, and could collect the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s scoring leader for the first time this season. He’s also a top contender to retain the Hart and Ted Lindsay Award as the league’s MVP, which would make him the first two-time winner in franchise history.

The most important numbers to him are two and one. Forsberg has lifted the Stanley Cup twice. MacKinnon desperately wants to do it again.

The Post asked Forsberg about a few other topics in a one-on-one chat, from the Avs’ chances of winning a fourth Cup this season to the seismic Mikko Rantanen trade and what the man they call “Foppa” is up to these days.

Q: What do you make of Colorado’s season so far? Do you think the Avs can win the Cup?

Forsberg: “They’ve got the top skills, but we’ll see if they can fill out (the lineup). We’ll see what happens with (Gabe) Landeskog, but it would be great if he could come back and be healthy. I think it is one of the teams that has a shot. I think they might try to add one or two (players) before the trading deadline. I don’t see them as a favorite, but maybe a little tier below. They have one of the best power plays, one of the best players, so they have a shot. We’ll see. Goaltending has been better lately, so that really helps.”

Q: What did you think of the Rantanen trade?

Forsberg: “I was surprised, like everybody else. I think when those things happen, so many things are going on behind the doors. I have no clue really what happened. But they probably didn’t want to lose him for nothing, so I guess maybe that was part of it.

“I actually like the player they got (Martin Necas). They got a three years younger player and a really skilled one. We’ll see if it works out or not. I don’t think we know yet.”

Q: What is life like for you now? How do you like being a commentator?

Forsberg: “I like hockey. I’m doing this with Swedish TV. I enjoy it. It’s just fun to be around the big tournaments. I’ve been doing this since 2018 in South Korea (at the Winter Olympics). I watch a lot of NHL. I watch the Swiss league. I watch the Swedish league. I try to keep up.

“I have no problem doing it. I just don’t want to do it daily. Tournaments is fine with me. I can go for two weeks. But as a daily job, like in the NHL every single day, I don’t think I want to do that. I have three kids and other things, but tournaments I really like to do. It keeps me around. As long they want me around, I’ll keep doing it.”

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