One of the beauties of life is that for everything that
happens, there is balance. That’s even true in hockey! Earlier this week, Sara Civian looked
at
Since the 2020-21 season, NHL teams
have operated under a salary cap that's risen at a glacial pace.
Flattened by a reduction in hockey-related revenue brought...
Nathan MacKinnon, NHL's Largest Contracts After Avalanche Star's Record Deal
Sep 20, 2022
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JUNE 26: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche carries the Stanley Cup following the series winning victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Six of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on June 26, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Nathan MacKinnon had himself an excellent 2021-22 season and a postseason for the ages. No surprises, then, that he's getting paid in a major way.
The superstar forward has signed an eight-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche that reportedly has an average annual value of $12.6 million, tops in the NHL.
By AAV, MacKinnon, 27, is now just edging out Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, arguably the league's best player who has led the league in scoring in four of the past six seasons.
MacKinnon: $12.6 million AAV
McDavid: $12.5 million AAV
Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers: $11.6 million AAV
Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs: $11.6 million AAV
Erik Karlsson, D, San Jose Sharks: $11.5 million AAV
In terms of total value among current contracts, Las Vegas Knights defenseman Shea Weber still tops the charts on his 14-year, $110 million deal, which runs through the 2025-26 season, though he didn't play last season and may be unofficially retired at this point.
In NHL history, Alex Ovechkin's previous 13-year, $124 million deal with the Washington Capitals is the most total money on a contract in league history.
Nathan MacKinnon's $100.8M extension is the 4th most valuable contract in NHL history
MacKinnon's massive AAV will move the needle for superstar contracts to follow, however. He was fantastic in the 2021-22 season, scoring 32 goals and adding 56 assists in 65 games.
But he was downright special in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, posting a league-leading 13 goals to go along with 11 points as the Avs won the title. So a massive deal was always going to follow, and there is an argument to be made that it's even a team-friendly deal, given the duration.
Nathan MacKinnon, the new highest paid player in the league, is still underpaid. pic.twitter.com/YvdXkycqDG
I think it can still accurately be said that Nathan MacKinnon, while getting wish of being NHL's highest-paid player, also gave something of a team discount to Avs. I think his agent wanted more, but in the end the player is the boss
Asked MacKinnon if he was ready to cede "most underpaid player in the NHL" title to Makar.
“He has it now. I chirp him about who makes more than him. I’m not gonna say any names, but like, damn. ‘What’d you sign that for?’ We won though, so it’s all good. I’m sure he’ll be fine”
However the deal is viewed, MacKinnon got paid, and handsomely. It's a strong deal for both the team and player as they look to repeat as champions in the 2022-23 campaign.
Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche Agree to 8-Year, $100.6M Contract; NHL's Top-Paid Player
Sep 20, 2022
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JUNE 26: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche hoists the Stanley Cup after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Six of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on June 26, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game Six to take the best of seven Stanley Cup Final series 4 games to 2. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
After leading the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup title, Nathan MacKinnon is now the NHL's highest-paid player.
The Avs announced an eight-year contract extension with their superstar center on Tuesday.
A new deal has been expected for some time, with MacKinnon saying last week on the NHL/NHLPA media tour in Las Vegas the two sides were "pretty close" on an agreement.
"I'd prefer it to be done," he added. "… It gets emotional. You feel like it's personal sometimes. I'd like to get it done just so it's not a distraction at all.
The five-time All-Star will earn $6.85 million in 2022-23, the final season of his seven-year, $44.1 million contract that was signed in July 2016.
MacKinnon has been everything the Avs could have hoped for since making him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft. The Canadian star became the youngest player in NHL history to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as an 18-year-old during the 2013-14 season.
Colorado ended its three-year playoff drought in MacKinnon's rookie campaign. After another three-year absence from 2014-17, the Avs have made the postseason in each of the past five seasons.
The 2021-22 season was arguably the best in Avalanche history. They set franchise records for regular-season wins (56) and points (119) to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They went 12-2 in the first three rounds of the playoffs, including two sweeps to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
MacKinnon had six points in six games against the Tampa Bay Lightning to lead the Avs to their first championship in 21 years. He has scored 648 points in 638 career regular-season games.
A $1 million rise in the NHL salary cap
to $82.5 million didn't adversely affect the 2022 offseason trade...
Nazem Kadri: Pros and Cons of Free-Agent Forward Signing with the Islanders
Aug 16, 2022
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JUNE 26: Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche carries the Stanley Cup following the series winning victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Six of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on June 26, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
It's the middle of August, and Nazem Kadri is still a free agent. It's almost unthinkable, but it makes you wonder if he's signed with the one team that has a general manager who doesn't see it necessary to announce signings.
That team is the New York Islanders, and that general manager is Lou Lamoriello. There appeared to be some smoke when Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported an offer on the table for the former Colorado Avalanche center. However, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff extinguished that fire last week when he said that Kadri turned it down and is still talking to other teams.
There are fans in the New York area who are hoping that maybe Kadri is, in fact, an Islander already and that there will be a reveal in training camp. Anyone familiar with the way Lamoriello operates knows that he works in total secrecy. But this is a little shortsighted.
If Kadri had already signed a contract, it would have passed through the NHL Central Registry. I find it hard to believe that multiple insiders wouldn't find out about a transaction of that magnitude. Could he have a handshake deal in place with the Islanders? It's certainly possible.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 08: General manager Lou Lamoriello of the New York Islanders is seen prior to Round Two of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
But does it even make sense for this club? He would make the Islanders better, but it's not exactly a good fit.
Positional Fit
The Islanders already have three centers in Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Kadri, a Stanley Cup winner coming off an 87-point season, isn't signing with a team to play on the fourth line. He could move out to the wing, but two sources have told me that he isn't as effective there.
It's worth noting that he played on the wing during the Stanley Cup Final and did well there. The Avs wanted to minimize the impact on his injured thumb, so a move to the wing prevented him from having to take faceoffs.
He scored a goal in Game 4 of the Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning (although Jon Cooper probably still thinks it shouldn't have counted).
TAMPA, FL - JUNE 22: Colorado Avalanche left wing J.T. Compher (37), Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson (6) swarm Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (91) after Kadri scored the game winning overtime goal against Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) to win game four of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals 3-2 at Amalie Arena June 22, 2022. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
If moving Kadri to the wing is the plan, the Islanders will need to clear some salary-cap space. The logical candidate to be moved is winger Anthony Beauvillier, who does not have no-trade protection and has a cap hit of $4.2 million over each of the next two years.
You could make the argument for Pageau, but Lamoriello gave up a lot to acquire him in 2020 and is unlikely to give up on a player that took so much to get.
Pageau might not produce points at the same rate as Kadri, but he kills penalties, he's a better defender and he's two years younger than Kadri, who will turn 32 in October. His $5 million cap hit doesn't break the bank, and he's signed at that number through 2025-26.
Not to mention, Pageau has a limited no-trade clause.
Is Lamoriello looking for some blockbuster move like trading Barzal? I sincerely doubt it. Barzal is only 25 and a top center in the league. Ownership would be foolish to sign off on that trade.
But speaking of Barzal, we need to look at the salary cap.
ELMONT, NEW YORK - APRIL 29: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders skates against the Tampa Bay Lightning at UBS Arena on April 29, 2022 in Elmont, New York. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 6-4. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
Salary-Cap Fit
The Isles currently have a little more than $11 million in cap space this season, but they still need to re-sign restricted free agents Kieffer Bellows, Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson.
Barzal's bridge deal only runs through 2023, making him an RFA next summer. Scott Mayfield and Semyon Varlamov will be unrestricted free agents next summer, and goaltender Ilya Sorokin will be one in two years. Sorokin had the second-best save percentage in the league last season, and he makes this club a contender.
The Isles would be smart to keep Varlamov, a very good backup, around this year as well, considering how tough the goalie market is right now. They could probably trade him to the Vegas Golden Knights to clear cap space, but there aren't any good options for backups left on the market, and Bridgeport goalie Ken Appleby isn't the answer either.
That's a lot of business for Lamoriello to take care of, and he will need to plug some holes in the coming years.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: Kieffer Bellows #20 and Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders celebrate a win against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on April 26, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images)
Kadri might want $9 million per year, but getting that money on Long Island would mean the club would have to part with key talent. And even though he reportedly wants to play for a contender, the reality is that he might not be able to get that kind of money from one. The flat cap isn't going up by much anytime soon, and close to half of the league is already over the cap.
Is He Really Needed?
Isles fans see this as adding offense to a team that didn't generate a whole lot of it last season. New York's 2.79 goals per game was 10th-worst in the league. Adding a two-time 30-goal scorer would help with the quest for offense and could bring some excitement to the new UBS Arena.
Fans have every right to be frustrated by Lamoriello's seeming inaction this summer. He traded away a first-round pick for Romanov, who has shown promise but did struggle with the Montreal Canadiens. He fired a popular coach in Barry Trotz and promoted Trotz's longtime assistant, Lane Lambert. He whiffed on Johnny Gaudreau.
But this team was only a game away from the Stanley Cup Final last summer. The 2021-22 Islanders were undone by a brutal travel schedule, COVID-19 and injuries to key players. Trotz's defensive system doesn't really produce a lot of offense, but Lambert can now put his own stamp on the team by having them play in a way that facilitates more scoring.
This is a loaded Metropolitan Division, with the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets looking ready to jump back into the postseason fray. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes are still contenders, and the Washington Capitals should be a playoff team, too.
Adding Kadri but subtracting a young, cost-controlled player like Beauvillier or a backup goalie like Varlamov doesn't make this club that much better than it already is right now, especially if he has to move to the wing.
There are a lot of pros to adding someone like Kadri, but there might be just a few more cons for the Isles.
The weeks between the end of the
Stanley Cup playoffs and Aug. 1 tend to see a considerable amount of
activity in the trade and free-agent markets. General...
Stanley Cup Accidentally Delivered to Wrong Address After Avalanche's NHL Title Win
Jun 30, 2022
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JUNE 26: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche carries the Stanley Cup following the series winning victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Six of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on June 26, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Everyone has dealt with mail being delivered to the wrong address, but a Denver couple had a unique experience with that situation Tuesday.
Per Colleen Flynn of Fox 31, the Stanley Cup was supposed to be sent to Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog but was mistakenly delivered to the Hilltop neighborhood in Denver.
Kit Karbler, whose house received the special delivery, posted an image of the Stanley Cup on the social media app NextDoor.
"They got the wrong address for the Stanley Cup and were delivering it to my house instead of Landeskog's," he wrote. "Got to see it and touch it in my driveway!"
Speaking to Flynn about the mix-up, Karbler said he and his husband were in their house when they saw a delivery vehicle stopped outside.
"It looks like a contractor or something," he said. "I didn’t know. And a fella comes to the door. He’s got long, kind of gray hair, parted and he’s very friendly. … And he comes right in and they're looking, the truck is backed up and they're looking to bring in the trophy."
Philip Pritchard, the Keeper of the Cup for the Hockey Hall of Fame, told Flynn the mix-up occurred because they "couldn't really see the number of the house" and decided to go knock on the door.
Flynn noted Landeskog's residence has a "similar-looking address" to Karbler's house.
Despite the confusion, everything worked out OK. A fan got to spend a few moments with the Stanley Cup. Landeskog presumably got his day with the NHL's biggest prize.
The Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Stanley Cup Final to win their first title since 2000-01.
