Over the past six years, Nathan MacKinnon has played on a contract that pays him $6.3 million per season. MacKinnon has outperformed the value of his contract for five of years, as his breakout came after his ‘'team-friendly'' deal was signed. He has been applauded for taking a discount on this deal, despite signing at above market value at the time of the signing. For the last two years MacKinnon has claimed he would be taking another discount to remain with Colorado Avalanche. However, according to Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now, that might not be the case: To become the highest paid player in the NHL, MacKinnon would have to surpass the $12.5 million cap hit currently made by Connor McDavid. MacKinnon will officially be a unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2023 if an extension with the Avalanche isn't signed before then. And if he does become a UFA, he will have a long line of suitors trying to lure him in. Find the link to Dater's full article below: <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/adater/status/1556792702942924805'> </a></blockquote></div>
