The Colorado Avalanche sit 19 points back of the next-worst team in the NHL with 14 games remaining but, while Nathan MacKinnon admits changes will come in the offseason, he's hoping the Avalanche can close out the season on a good note.

Speaking to the Denver Post Tuesday, MacKinnon gave an honest answer on the team's struggles, but said the Avalanche could still take some positives away from the lost year.

“It’s been a horrible season and it’s crazy how bad it’s been,” MacKinnon told the Post. “We need to be held accountable like everybody else. The whole team hasn’t been good enough. We get it.

“We’re still playing hard. I don’t think the work ethic is an issue. There are no bad guys in the locker room. Whether it’s a chemistry thing or a personnel thing, and probably both, whoever is back here next year, we just want to say, ‘OK, we had a good last 14 games and we can build off that.'"

MacKinnon owns 14 goals and 30 assists this season, and admitted Tuesday he's been disappointed in his play.

“I felt really good coming into this season,” MacKinnon said. “I feel like I was one of the best players at the World Cup. I felt good there. But I haven’t been good enough... If we don’t score - we score 1.9 goals per game and we’ve been shut out 12 times now - it’s tough."

The 21-year-old scored two goals and added an assist in three games with Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey in September. He scored 21 goals last season and 24 as a rookie in 2013-14.

"It shows you what being on a good team will do for you. I mean, I’m twice the player I was when I was 18, but my first year, we scored three goals a game and we won the division. In those kinds of years, you get good bounces, you get crappy assists, you wouldn’t have to play your best to get a goal.

"When you don’t score and you’re on a bad team you have to bring your best every night. You have to do that anyway, we’re professionals, but it’s obviously tougher. It’s our job to score and we’re not doing that. That’s on us. For sure.”

The Avalanche held on to their core players at the trade deadline, but are expected to make changes in the offseason, with captain Gabriel Landeskog and centre Matt Duchene both potentially on the trade block.

MacKinnon expressed optimism in general manager Joe Sakic and the team's management to make the necessary changes to help the team moving forward.

"There are going to be changes, unfortunately, but we’ll change to win and I’m confident that Joe and all those guys will make good decisions and get this thing turned around.”

The Avalanche host the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night looking for their 20th win of the season.