MacKinnon, who just turned 27 earlier this month, signed an eight-year contract worth US$100.8 million, the team announced on Tuesday. His new US$12.6 million salary cap hit that goes into effect at the start of the 2023-24 season surpasses Connor McDavid’s $12.5 million as the league’s highest. McDavid’s eight-year, $100 million US deal with the Edmonton Oilers signed in 2017 was the previous record for the highest annual hit since the system was implemented in 2005. MacKinnon’s single richest deals, in total dollars, in NHL history:
Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, US$124 million contract with Washington Shea Weber’s $110 million, 14-year contract with Nashville Sidney Crosby’s 12-year, $104.4 million contract with Pittsburgh.
The collective bargaining agreement has since limited contract lengths to eight years for a player re-signing with his own team and seven for free agents. MacKinnon agreed to the deal with training camp set to begin. It’s been a short offseason for MacKinnon and the Avalanche after capturing their first Stanley Cup title since 2001. The hard-nosed, fast-skating center tied for first in the league with 13 postseason goals. It was the second most in a single playoff series in franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famer Joe Sakic’s 18 goals in 1996 (when Colorado won its first Cup). He has that rare combination of speed and power with a high level of competitiveness that makes him a generational player.— Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland to forward Nathan MacKinnon MacKinnon, the top pick in the 2013 draft, was a finalist for the Hart Trophy in three of the last five seasons (’17-18, ’18-19, ’20-21). He has 242 career goals and 406 assists, the most of anyone in the draft class. “Nathan is obviously one of the top players in the NHL, so a long-term extension was something we wanted to do before the season started,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement Tuesday about the extension. “He has that rare combination of speed and power with a high level of play that makes him a generational player. We are excited that he will continue to be a part of this team and this community for many years to come.” Officially official. pic.twitter.com/B9LGa1Gjik [email protected] The Halifax, Nova Scotia native was the youngest player in franchise history to make his NHL debut (18 years, 31 days) and won the Calder Trophy that season as the league’s top rookie. She also won the Lady Byng Award for Sportsmanship and Courtesy in 2020. In addition, she has been named a captain for the Central Division in the last three All-Star Games. MacKinnon’s last contract, signed in 2016 and expiring after the upcoming season, was worth US$44.1 million over seven years with a cap hit of US$6.3 million. Only four players have surpassed the 495 points he put up in the regular season since that deal went into effect, and his 83 in the playoffs are the second-most in the NHL since then. That’s why for years, MacKinnon was known as the most underpaid player in hockey — a title he really didn’t care for. These days, he has another one – the Stanley Cup champion. He is part of an Avalanche core that also includes defenseman Cale Makar, forward Mikko Rantanen and captain Gabriel Landeskog. “Obviously it’s pretty cool, for sure,” MacKinnon said of being the highest-paid player in hockey. “I hope there are no more pandemics and the cap is raised even more, but, yes, I think the term was the most important thing. I just wanted to be here for the rest of my career and hopefully get another deal after this as well.” MacKinnon is now signed through 2031. Colorado also has versatile forward Valeri Nichushkin signed through 2030, Landeskog through 2029 and Makar, the playoff MVP, through 2027. MacFarland’s assignment next summer is an extension with Rantanen. “It shows a lot of faith,” said Sakic, now Colorado’s president of hockey operations. “Nathan wanted to do this, we wanted to do it and he’s a franchise player and we’re really excited for him to stay here in Colorado for the rest of his career.” McDavid considers being surpassed as the highest-paid player, “good for hockey, I guess, to keep raising the bar.” “But ultimately the salary cap system is a weird system where the more money you make, the less money somebody else can make,” McDavid added. “It’s kind of a weird system that way. There’s always going to be give and take.”
