There’s no player around today who’s earned this extension more than him. The Avalanche have made it official as they announced today that they’ve signed Nathan MacKinnon to an 8-year, $100.8M extension, making him the highest paid player in NHL history.
This is what you deserve when you famously take a team-friendly contract in order to acquire the best talent around yourself to make a deep postseason run. If Nathan MacKinnon didn’t take that team-friendly 7-year, $6.35M contract back in 2016, when he deserved at least another 4-6 million, the Avalanche would not have won the 2021/22 Stanley Cup.
They simply wouldn’t have had the cap space to bring on and keep Josh Manson, Nazeem Kadri, Darcy Kuemper, Alex Burakovsky, Valeri Nichushkin, and Sameul Girard, who were all valuable pieces that directly added to the Avalanche’s first Stanley Cup win since the 2000/01 season.
MacKinnon really wasn’t kidding when he said he’s sick of not winning a major team trophy after the Avalanche’s early playoff exit to the Vegas Golden Knights two years ago. I’m glad he finally got the Stanley Cup win his play deserved.
For those who criticize this deal in the media, I think many of them have forgotten (before last season’s playoffs) how good MacKinnon has been with the Avalanche because he plays in Colorado.
In the past five season alone, MacKinnon has scored 167 goals and 275 assists for a grand total of 442 points. That’s 88 points/per season!
Plus, he won the Calder Trophy for his fantastic rookie season back in 2013/14 and the Lady Bing Memorial Trophy for showcasing the best sportsmanship out of every single NHL player in 2020. Obviously, not only has Nathan MacKinnon been an outstanding player, but also a great professional during his time in the NHL.
Now, with his 8-year, $100.8M contract ($12.8M/season), he’s surpassed Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid (8-year, $100.6M) as the highest paid player in the NHL. Like I said, MacKinnon deserved this $6M pay raise as he should gotten it six years ago.
And for those who may claim that MacKinnon doesn’t deserve a contract that pays more than Connor McDavid’s, all I can say is that you’re wrong.
Yes, MacKinnon isn’t as good as McDavid, nor has he produced as many points as McDavid has in the same five-year time span, but he now has something that McDavid doesn’t: team success.
Nathan MacKinnon was able to overcome all of the hurtles thrown at the Avalanche last season (and McDavid and his Oilers were one of them) and win the elusive Stanley Cup that has eluded McDavid thus far.
And that is why Nathan MacKinnon deserved his record breaking 8-year, $100.8M contract.
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