Nathan Mackinnon has been on a sweet contract for the Colorado Avalanche for the past number of years. But to be fair to the AVs, Mackinnon did struggle in his first few years in the league and was almost overpaid when his contract started.
Mackinnon’s current Avalanche salary cap hit is $6.3 million. In the first year of his new signed deal back in 2016-17 Mackinnon put up 53 points in 82 games. Not so much worthy of a $6.3 million/year deal, but Colorado saw the potential in the 2013 #1 overall draft pick.
The last five years, Mackinnon has been a top 10 point producer in the NHL and he is now looking to be paid as a top 10 player.
NHL trade rumors have Mackinnon wanting a contract to be the highest paid player in the NHL.
NHL salary cap hits over $10 million for the 2023-2024 season
| Player | Team | Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Connor McDavid | EDM | $12.5M |
| 2. Artemi Panarin | NYR | $11.64M |
| 3. Auston Matthews | TOR | $11.64M |
| 4. Erik Karlsson | SJS | $11.5M |
| 5. John Tavares | TOR | $11M |
| 6. Drew Doughty | LAK | $11M |
| 7. Mitchell Marner | TOR | $10.9M |
| 8. Jonathan Huberdeau | CGY | $10.5M |
| 9. Carey Price | MTL | $10.5M |
| 10. Aleksander Barkov | FLA | $10M |
| 11. Sergei Bobrovsky | FLA | $10M |
| 12. Anze Kopitar | LAK | $10M |
| 13. Jack Eichel | VGK | $10M |
How much money does Nathan Mackinnon want in next contract?
Looking at the salaries above, Mackinnon wants McDavid money or even more. Who can blame him? He is a Stanley Cup champion and one of the best players in the NHL. He wants to be paid.
The big question is, can the Colorado Avalanche afford a $13 million AVV against their salary cap with Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog already signed to big long-term deals.
