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Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon agreed to an eight-year contract extension with a $12.6 average annual value. The deal will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL next season.
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, 27, was the first overall pick for the Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Draft.
His numbers aren’t as eye popping at Connor McDavid’s, but MacKinnon has been a model of consistency with four 30-goal seasons and four seasons of 88 points or more. He has 242 goals and 406 assists in 638 games, averaging a little more than a point-a-game for his career.
In the three-season span from 2017 through 2019, MacKinnon had 97 points, 99 points and 93 points.
But MacKinnon has really begun to make his name as a playoff performer. Over the past three postseasons, MacKinnon has 30 goals and 64 points in 45 Stanley Cup playoff games.
His 13 goals and 24 points in the 2022 postseason helped the Avalanche win their first Stanley Cup since 2002.
MacKinnon’s contract value is higher than McDavid’s, who signed an eight-year extension for $100 million in 2019.