The Colorado Avalanche announced this past Friday that they have signed 20-year old forward Nathan MacKinnon to a seven-year deal through the 2022-23 season. According to Bleacher Report’s Adrian Dater, the contract is worth a total of $44.1 million.
Avalanche Vice President and General Manager Joe Sakic made signing MacKinnon to a long-term deal a priority and spoke about how important this deal is to the organization:
“Signing Nathan to a long-term contract was a priority this offseason,” Sakic said. “He is going to be a key part of our team for many years to come, and it was important to secure his rights moving forward.”
After posting an impressive rookie campaign which included a career-best 24 goals and 39 assists, MacKinnon suffered a “sophmore slump” which saw his production dip with a point total decrease by 25 a plus/minus rating that went from plus-20 to minus-seven.
MacKinnon responded last season by posting 52 points and is a key part of Colorado’s young 1st line.
The 20-year-old was the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. MacKinnon has logged 153 points in 218 NHL contests and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2014.