from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,

Nathan MacKinnon’s first round brilliance against Calgary was dubbed by many as his “coming out party.”

Forgive MacKinnon for being unsure whether it’s a compliment or an insult.

“I don’t know, I was up for MVP last year, so I don’t feel like I’m just coming out,” shrugged MacKinnon, before breaking into a chuckle.

“Maybe you should just turn on some Avs games more, I don’t know.”

Granted, MacKinnon has been on the national radar since he was a junior star picked first overall in 2013.

A finalist for the Hart Trophy last year, he finished with 99 points this season and has long been one of the league’s fastest and most dominant players.

However, by taking centre stage in a nationally televised series in which his team advanced for the first time in over a decade, there’s certainly increased buzz about the 23-year-old centre.

“Maybe it is [a coming out party] for some people that don’t watch the Avs,” said the humble native of Cole Harbour, N.S. whose Avalanche face San Jose in Game 2 Sunday afternoon, down 1-0 in the series.

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