MacKinnon of Avalanche won't need surgery for shoulder injury

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Nathan MacKinnon won't need surgery for the shoulder injury he sustained for the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and will be ready for training camp, general manager Joe Sakic said Tuesday.

MacKinnon, who had 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 12 playoff games, was injured against the San Jose Sharks in the first period of Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round at SAP Center. He was able to return after getting an injection, but the Avalanche were eliminated with a 3-2 loss.
"He'll be fine, he's getting better every day," Sakic said. "He'll be fine in a couple weeks. Just [needs] rest."
The Avalanche forward tied for seventh in the NHL with 99 points (41 goals, 58 assists) in 82 games and will be counted on heavily next season when Colorado attempts to make the playoffs for its third straight season, something it hasn't done since it made it in 10 straight seasons from 1995-2006, including winning the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001.

"Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup, that's the endgame," Sakic said. "We want to be better next year and be more consistent during the regular season."
The Avalanche went 8-1-2 in their final 11 games to clinch the second wild card into the playoffs from the West for the second season in a row. They defeated the top-seeded Calgary Flames in five games in the first round.
The goal next season is to earn a higher seed and gain home ice; Colorado went 10-1-0 in its final 11 games at Pepsi Center, including 4-1 in the playoffs.
"As great as the end of the year was, we still didn't accomplish the end goal," Sakic said. "We've got to find a way to get better. It starts here in the offseason."
Seven players will be restricted free agents July 1, including right wing Mikko Rantanen, 22, who had an NHL career-high 87 points (31 goals, 56 assists) in 74 games and led the Avalanche in the playoffs with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 12 games.
"It's a priority to get him done," Sakic said. "We prefer long term. If it has to be short term, it has to be short term. We want to make sure we have him signed."
The other restricted free agents are forwards Sven Andrighetto, J.T. Compher, Vladislav Kamenev and Alex Kerfoot, and defensemen Ryan Graves and Nikita Zadorov.

Five players will be unrestricted free agents, including goalie Semyon Varlamov, whose 183 wins are second in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to Patrick Roy (262). But Philipp Grubauer replaced him as the No. 1 goalie down the stretch and played all 12 playoff games.
"We'll see what happens July 1 with him," Sakic said. "We'll be in communication."
Forwards Gabriel Bourque, Derick Brassard and Colin Wilson, and defenseman Patrik Nemeth also will be unrestricted.
Sakic said he plans to be more aggressive in the free-agent market than in previous seasons.
"It's a pretty good class this year," he said. "(We) already have targeted players in mind if they become available that we'll want to talk to about joining our club. We see positions of need, of what we're looking to do. There's a few guys we're going to want to talk to if they become available. We'll be more aggressive this year with that, but if it doesn't work out with the players we want to talk to, we're not just going to go spend on anybody. We want the right players and the right fit."
Coach Jared Bednar is signed through next season and Sakic said he eventually would begin talks for a contract extension.
The Avalanche have eight picks in the 2019 NHL Draft on June 21-22 in Vancouver, five in the first three rounds, including Nos. 4 and 16 in the first round.
"We're excited about this offseason, there's a lot of things we can do to improve this club, make us a stronger team next year," Sakic said. "We saw the growth in the last couple years here and we want to keep growing like that. You see the Pepsi Center, the playoff atmosphere, the atmosphere all year. I think there's a lot of excitement about this team. We got to keep building and try to get to the next level."