July 13th is an important day for all teams in the NHL. Not just because it's the first day you can sign free-agents, but it's also when players in the final year of their contract become eligible to sign an extension. Some teams will want to get ahead of the game and sign some big name players before they think of hitting the open market.
Nathan MacKinnon has been on the most team friendly contracts in the league since he signed it back in 2016. At a cap hit of $6.3 Million per season he is making roughly the same as players like Derek Stepan, Dylan Larkin, and Sam Reinhart. None of those players mentioned are even on the same planet as MacKinnon. This summer after winning the Stanley Cup, it may be time for the Colorado Avalanche to finally pay Nathan MacKinnon what he's worth.
Joe Sakic has already met with MacKinnon's agent to discuss an extension. The only two forwards on Colorado currently with a higher cap hit than MacKinnon are Gabriel Landeskog at $7.0 Million and Mikko Rantanen at $9.25 Million. I wouldn't be surprised if MacKinnon became the highest paid forward on the team next season. After what Valeri Nichuskin got, Colorado owes it to MacKinnon.
