When Wayne Gretzky offers his opinion, we listen.

Invariably, interrupting the media's collective lauding of Nathan MacKinnon during his Stanley Cup introduction, The Great One provided arguably the greatest compliment to the Avalanche freshman.

Gretzky, in conversation with Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post, sees the NHL's proverbial torch safe within MacKinnon's grasp.

"When different guys retire, we wonder who's going to come in, step up and be the next guy?" Gretzky said. "You see a guy like Nathan MacKinnon come along, play at the level he's playing, carry himself the way he carries himself, it says a lot of good things about the game.

"The NHL is in good shape."

No stranger to in-born talent, Gretzky credited MacKinnon's immediate success to a work ethic rivaling that of the league's very best.

What makes them so special is their work ethic, and when you watch [MacKinnon] play, he's extremely talented, but more important he plays the game properly. He works hard every shift, he doesn't cheat the game. There's no question he's deserving of the accolades he's getting.

The Avalanche will need MacKinnon to channel his inner Gretzky on Wednesday if they hope to avoid a first-round upset and survive the Minnesota Wild in Game 7.