Nathan MacKinnon Candidly Discusses Contract Negotiations, Wants a Deal Before Season's Start

Rumors that Nathan MacKinnon was seeking to be the NHL's highest paid player caught the attention of hockey fans everywhere. Initially started by Denver-based journalist Adrian Dater, the notion that MacKinnon would be the highest paid NHLer made a lot of sense given the fact that he now boasts a Stanley Cup ring and is arguably Colorado's best player.

That said, many -- like myself -- doubted the idea that anyone would earn more than Connor McDavid's $12.5 million per year salary. Cup or no cup, anyone not named Connor McDavid being the highest paid player is a farfetched concept at best. Still, MacKinnon is in for a monstrous raise from his current $6.125 million annual salary.

Signed for one more season, MacKinnon has 648 points in 638 games, and his underlying stats paint an even prettier picture. Drafted first overall in 2013, MacKinnon is a raging bull on hockey skates with hands of silk. Once he reaches top speed, good luck stopping him.

What really sets MacKinnon aside even further than the obvious is his playoff production. In the regular season, he scores at a 1.02 point per game pace, while in the playoffs he is scoring at a 1.33 point per game pace, with 93 in 70. Everything we know about Joe Sakic indicates he will -- without hesitation -- sign MacKinnon no matter what.

In an interview this afternoon, MacKinnon spoke on the negotiations and offered his perspective on what to expect. The Score's John Matisz caught a quote from the Avs' center, and my interpretation is that Dater's report might not be accurate.

This quote from MacKinnon himself indicates that he is not looking to be the highest paid player over McDavid, but he definitely wants to get paid commensurate to his value to his organization. Totally fair.

On the flip side, he could land somewhere at or a hair below McDavid's $12.5 million, but my personal hunch puts him around $11.5 million for eight years. That annual-average puts him right there with Auston Matthews, which is good enough for top handful in the league.

The Athletic's Michael Russo provided extra details, saying MacKinnon and his agent Pat Brisson were tight-lipped otherwise, but MacKinnon added that he hopes to have a deal done before opening night of the upcoming season and joked that the moniker of 'most underpaid player in the NHL' is one he is looking to drop.

Per CapFriendly, the Avalanche have ~$57 million committed next summer committed to 12 players. They do have a fair amount to flexibility; that said, their core is not a cheap one to retain, and they could find themselves where Tampa Bay was this summer soon enough, having to lose players to free agency or the wretched cap dump. Either way, Colorado will hopefully get their superstar locked up soon enough, a long overdue payday.

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