MacKinnon, along with Cale Makar and Devon Toews, had the opportunity to play for Canada in a best-on-best men’s tournament for the first time at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. He had the chance to play with his childhood idol-turned-friend Sidney Crosby in games that matter for the first time. He also didn’t let down 8-year-old Nathan MacKinnon.

A weekly gauge of the players who are controlling substantial buzz around the league. When a player is included on this list it may not be a good thing -- it means that they are capturing a large amount of the hockey world's attention.