The Colorado Avalanche renewed star forward Nathan MacKinnon for eight years at a cost of $12.6 million a year, making him the highest-paid player in the NHL.
The contract, valued at $100.8 million, does not come into effect until 2023-24.
MacKinnon is entering the final season of a six-year, $44.1 million ($6.3 million AAV) contract signed in 2016 – which earned him a reputation as one of the NHL’s underpaid players.
His new $12.6 million annual average, which exactly doubles his current contract, surpasses Connor McDavid’s $12.5 AAV.
McDavid feels being surpassed as the highest-paid player is “good for hockey, I think, to keep raising the bar.”
“But ultimately, the salary cap system is a weird system where the more money you make, the less money someone else can make,” McDavid added. “It’s kind of a weird system in that way. There will always be give and take.”
The contract is divided according to CapFriendly:
2023-24: $15.725 million signing bonus, $775,000 base salary
2024-25: $15.725 million signing bonus, $775,000 base salary
2025-26: $15.25 million signing bonus, $800,000 base salary
2026-27: $3M signing bonus, $9.15M base salary
2027-28: $8.91 million signing bonus, $990,000 base salary
2028-29: $8.91 million signing bonus, $990,000 base salary
2029-30: $8.91 million signing bonus, $990,000 base salary
2030-31: $8.91 million signing bonus, $990,000 base salary
A total of $85.34 million will be paid out on his contract in signing bonuses. The $100.8 million is the fourth largest contract in NHL history, behind Alex Ovechkin’s $124 million, 13-year contract with Washington, Shea Weber’s $110 million, 14-year contract with Nashville and Sidney Crosby’s $104.4 million, 12-year contract with Pittsburgh.
The collective bargaining agreement has since limited contract terms to eight years for a player moving back to their own team and seven for free agents.
The 27-year-old, who was voted No. 1 overall by the Avalanche in 2013, has played his entire nine-year NHL career in Colorado.
Last season, the Halifax native was a key player in the Avalanche’s run to the Stanley Cup – leading the team with 13 goals in the playoffs, adding 11 assists and directing an important goal and an assist in the sixth game to win over the Tampa at Bay Lightning.
“Denver is definitely the only place I want to be,” MacKinnon said recently in Henderson, Nevada, during a preseason player media tour.
Since 2017/18, his fifth season in the league, MacKinnon has recorded 167 goals and 275 assists (442 points) in 338 games. In the playoffs, MacKinnon has 90 points in 73 career games. His list of awards includes: a 2022 Stanley Cup, a 2013-14 Calder Trophy and a 2019-20 Lady Byng.
Although MacKinnon has never won a Hart Trophy as league MVP, he finished second in voting twice (2017-18, 2019-20) and third once (2020-21).
“Nathan is obviously one of the best players in the NHL, so we wanted to get a long-term overtime done before the season started,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a press release.
“He has that rare combination of speed and power with a high level of competition that makes him a generational player. We look forward to having him as a member of this team and community for many years to come.”
MacKinnon’s extension is just Colorado’s latest deal in a busy offseason. The club also renewed forwards Valeri Nichushkin (eight years, $49m) and Artturi Lehkonen (five years, $4.5m) and defender Josh Manson (four years, $18m).
Mackinnon becomes the Avalanche’s highest-paid player by far, surpassing Mikko Rantanen’s AAV of $9.25 million, which was previously the team’s highest total.
Cale Makar, Colorado’s other superstar who won Conn Smyth as playoff MVP in 2022, is signed for $9 million per season through 2026-27.
The defending champions now sign MacKinnon, Makar, Rantanen, captain Gabriel Landeskog, Nichushkin, Lehkonen, Josh Manson, Samuel Girard, Logan O’Connor and Alexandar Georgiev for the next three seasons.
With files from The Associated Press
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