Avalanche sign Nathan MacKinnon to 8-year contract extension

After a couple of days of rumors and hints that Nathan MacKinnon is going to get his deserved contract extension, the news has become official.

Announced by the team on Tuesday morning, the Colorado Avalanche have signed MacKinnon to an eight-year, $100.8-million deal that will keep him in Denver through the 2030-31 season.

The 27-year-old center was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, as he is heading into the 2022-23 season under the final year of his seven-year deal he signed back in 2016, but will now remain on the Avalanche and have his new deal starting next season.

With a $12.6-million cap hit, MacKinnon becomes the highest-paid player in the entire NHL, hilariously nudging out Connor McDavid from the top spot by just $100,000.

Now that MacKinnon is signed until the age of 36, Cale Makar is here for a very long time, Gabriel Landeskog inked a new deal, and more key players like Valeri Nichushkin, Sam Girard, and Josh Manson are tied up for at least the next four years; the Avalanche’s core of players is fairly stable and not going anywhere. This team is going to be good for so damn long.