The Colorado Avalanche announce Nathan MacKinnon signs a new eight-year contract extension worth $100.8 million.
EIGHT MORE FOR NATE THE GREAT!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/BzQmrdIk6w
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 20, 2022
His new deal carries a salary cap hit of $12.6 million. Making him the highest-paid player in the NHL.
Nathan MacKinnon will become the NHL's highest-paid player with a $12.6M AAV on his eight-year extension with the #Avs. The deal kicks in next season.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) September 20, 2022
MacKinnon’s new deal will kick in starting in the 2023-24 season and run through the 2030-31 season. He has one-more season left on his current deal which pays him $6.3 million a season.
Extension kicks in next season of course, runs through 2030-31 season. He will be 36 when it expires.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 20, 2022
In addition to being the highest-paid player in the NHL, MacKinnon will get a lot of his money upfront in signing bonus money. Through the first three seasons of the new deal, MacKinnon will get paid $49 million.
So more than $49 million paid out in first 3 years of the deal
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 20, 2022
Over the course of the contract, MacKinnon will get $85.34 million of the $100 million contract in signing bonus money.
Nathan MacKinnon's deal includes $85.34 million in signing bonus money
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 20, 2022
MacKinnon deserves every penny of this deal. After sweeping Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs, he now surpasses him in earnings. Grossly underpaid for quite some time now, MacKinnon sees his cap hit double when the new contract starts in 2023-24.
The Avalanche drafted the forward first overall at the 2013 NHL Draft. After winning the Calder Trophy in 2014 as NHL’s best rookie, MacKinnon saw a dip in production. However, over the course of the last five years, Nathan MacKinnon has been one of the best players in the NHL. The work he has put off the ice with Sidney Crosby has paid off on the ice. As a result, MacKinnon has been nominated three times for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player.
The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed Nathan MacKinnon to an eight-year extension with an AAV of $12.6M. MacKinnon is TOP3 forward in the NHL, he deserves these money. Also fun to watch player. pic.twitter.com/dVmizLgkWm
— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) September 20, 2022
Nathan MacKinnon, signed to a 9x$12.6M extension by COL, is one of the league's truly elite players, an unstoppable force offensively who bulldozes into the zone in transition. One of the best passers in the sport. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/GaNSAuJHNq
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) September 20, 2022
Sportsnet: I’m going into my ninth year and I haven’t won shit”
Nathan MacKinnon was a big reason why the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022 leading the team in goals with 13 along with 11 assists. He really took his words to heart after the Avalanche lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After being up 2-0 in the series, Colorado just went away losing the next four games. The second round was always a hurdle for the Avalanche.
However, after getting passed the St. Louis Blues in 2022, the Avalanche rolled.
ESPN: Extension for MacKinnon and the Avalanche getting close
Rumors had been swirling the Avalanche and MacKinnon were inching closer to an extension. MacKinnon told reporters during the NHL/NHLPA Media Tour in Henderson, NV last week, that the team was close to signing him an extension.
“We’re pretty close,” MacKinnon said Thursday at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour outside Las Vegas. “I’d prefer it to be done. … It gets emotional. You feel like it’s personal sometimes. I’d like to get it done just so it’s not a distraction at all.”
Avalanche President/GM Chris MacFarland: “We wanted to get done before the season started.”
Like MacKinnon, the Avalanche did not want this extension to linger into the season. With training camps set to open this week. The team did not want to have rumors swirl all season about losing a premier player.
“Nathan is obviously one of the premier players in the NHL so a long-term extension was something we wanted to get done before the season started,” said Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland. “He has that rare combination of speed and power with a high compete level that makes him a generational player. We are thrilled he will continue to be a member of this team and this community for many years to come.”