Makar, MacKinnon of Avalanche ready for new-look All-Star Skills event 

TORONTO -- Nathan MacKinnon ranks second in the NHL in scoring this season, but the Colorado Avalanche center isn’t sure how he’ll stack up among the 12 participants in the NHL’s new skills competition.

“I’ll probably come in 12th,” said MacKinnon, who has 69 points (23 goals, 46 assists) in 43 games, three behind Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who has 72 points (28 goals, 44 assists) in 43 games. “But I’ll do my best.”

False modesty? Maybe.

But this will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The best of the best will compete in multiple events with $1 million on the line in the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Feb. 2 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).

MacKinnon’s teammate Cale Makar ranks second among NHL defensemen in scoring this season, but he isn’t sure how he’ll stack up either.

“I’ll probably get embarrassed when I get there,” said Makar, who has 48 points (nine goals, 39 assists) in 38 games, three behind Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, who has 51 points (11 goals, 40 assists) in 43 games. “It’ll be interesting.”

He’s joking. At least he’s half-joking.

Right?

We’ll see. Look at the 10 participants the NHL announced Saturday.

We have three sets of teammates: MacKinnon and Makar, forwards Auston Matthews and William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers.

Then we have Kucherov, New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak and Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson.

The fans will select two more participants off the All-Star rosters in the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills Fan Vote presented by MassMutual, which is open online at NHL.com/vote and on X (formerly Twitter). Voting closes Thursday at 11:59:59 p.m. ET.

The options include Quinn Hughes, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel.

“Tons of amazing players,” MacKinnon said. “Regardless of the outcome of things, I think fans will enjoy just the buildup around it.”

In other words, it’ll be fun just guessing how these superstars are going to perform in this format.

Each will compete in four of the first six events: Fastenal NHL Fastest Skater, Rogers NHL Hardest Shot, Upper Deck NHL Stick Handling, NHL One Timers, NHL Passing Challenge and Cheetos NHL Accuracy Shooting. In each event, first place will be worth five points, second place four points and so on.

It’s hard to say who will have the edge between the pairs of teammates, let alone the entire field.

Take the Colorado duo.

“He does,” MacKinnon said of Makar with a laugh. “Faster. Harder shot than me. More accurate shot than me. Maybe I got him in Stick Handling or One Timers. It’ll be fun.”

Funny. Makar said much the same thing about MacKinnon.

“Fastest Skater, probably him, to be honest with you,” Makar said. “Hardest Shot, I think I might get him in that one. Stick Handling, he might get me. One Timers, he’ll probably get me.”

Passing Challenge?

“Yeah, close maybe,” Makar said. “Accuracy Shooting …”

Makar’s voice trailed off.

“He might have me in all those, to be honest with you,” Makar said with a laugh.

Let’s try a neutral observer for the Toronto duo.

“Fastest Skater? I’d say ‘Willie’ would take that one,” Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano said of Nylander. “Hardest Shot would be Matthews. Stick Handling? Man, that’s like a 50-50. Honestly, it’s a 50-50. They’re both deadly. One Timers, I would say Matthews. Passing, let’s go with ‘Willie’ to keep it even. And then accuracy shooting? Wow.”

Giordano paused for a moment. Eventually, he went with Matthews, who leads the League with 33 goals.

“But that would be close too,” Giordano said. “That’s going to be really cool. They’re all going to be pretty close.”

After the first six events, the top eight participants will advance to the seventh event: Honda NHL Shoot Out. From eighth place to first place, each skater will select the goalie he will face. Again, first place will be worth five points, second place four points and so on.

The top six will advance to the final event: Pepsi NHL Obstacle Course. It will include all the skills, and it will be worth double the points. First place will be worth 10 points, second place eight points and so on.

The drama is going to build through the night, and for the first time, the NHL will crown an all-around Skills champion. It will be the hockey version of the decathlon.

“It’ll just be fun to watch,” Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said. “I know my boys will be looking forward to watching it.”

In the end, that’s the goal -- putting on the best show possible for the fans, especially for kids who get to see their heroes show off their skills.

“I think it’s a really cool format,” Makar said. “I think they’ve done a good job. It seems like it’s going to elevate the fan experience.”