DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 30: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche takes to the ice ... [+]
In the summer of 2016, Nathan MacKinnon was due for a substantial pay raise.
As a restricted free agent (RFA), he didn’t have leverage to seek out the highest bidder. But the 20-year-old still had plenty to bring to the bargaining table: status as the No.1 pick in the 2013 draft, a Calder Trophy and three productive seasons with the Colorado Avalanche.
What he didn’t have was a crystal ball.
So when MacKinnon signed with Colorado that July — for $44.1 million spread over seven years — he had no way of knowing he’d soon become one of the most underpaid players in the league.
“I was just excited to get paid that much money at such a young age,” MacKinnon said Wednesday from his visitor’s room stall in Toronto. “Obviously it’s pretty (team) friendly now, but I was worth that at the time … I have no regrets.”
No one should blame MacKinnon for taking a long-term deal. Stability, in some ways, is priceless. But as player empowerment continues to grow for NHL free agents, there is only one way to describe MacKinnon’s current salary arrangement: highway robbery.
Consider the fact MacKinnon, 24, is third in the league in scoring this season (44 points in 27 games). He finished seventh and fifth in scoring in 2018-19 and 2017-18, respectively, receiving MVP votes both years.
But MacKinnon only has a $6.3 million average annual value (AAV) on his contract, which is 82nd in the NHL. And that $6.3 million AAV will remain for another three years.
via CapFriendly
Back in 2016, MacKinnon had another option: roll the dice with a two-year bridge contract and reassess his worth as an RFA after the 2017-18 season, which happened to be when he posted 97 points and finished as the MVP runner-up.
“So that would’ve been decent,” MacKinnon deadpanned.
Bridge deals were common for this past summer’s batch of RFAs, including Matthew Tkachuk (three years, $7 million AAV), Brayden Point (three years, $6.75 million AAV) and Patrik Laine (two years, $6.75 million AAV). The idea is to double-dip as an RFA and really cash out on the second go-round.
All three were among a group of 10 RFAs who dragged negotiations with their respective teams into September. Most of those RFAs were still holding out when training camp began, building on a trend that began last year when William Nylander’s negotiation with Toronto ended only minutes before the Dec. 1 deadline.
MacKinnon has noticed the uptick of RFA holdouts. If he had it to do over again, he might join the movement.
“I think you want to get paid what you’re worth,” he said. “I’d probably do the same thing. If a team isn’t paying you what you think you’re worth, holding out is something (players) are entitled to … I think it’s going to continue that way.”
MacKinnon was willing to play the what-if game, but he has made peace with what he signed up for. He said he already has enough money for retirement and, as a person who doesn’t come from a wealthy background, feels “very blessed.”
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 29: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche reacts after the ... [+]
There’s a silver lining for MacKinnon, too. Thanks to his team-friendly deal, the Avalanche were well within their means to sign 30-goal scorer Mikko Rantanen, the final RFA holdout this fall, who signed for six years at $9.25 AAV.
Colorado still has over $5 million in cap space, which will help quite a bit next year when RFAs such as Andre Burakovsky and Nikita Zadorov are due for contracts.
That’s a luxury not afforded to some other teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have more than $33 million committed to three players (Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner) for the next four seasons. The Maple Leafs have maxed out the salary cap and have five of their top-six defensemen set for free agency after this season.
That’s the type of situation MacKinnon wants to avoid. Balanced teams are often the ones left standing at the end of the playoffs, which is where he wants to be. Deals like his, as unfair as they might be, help make that happen.
“We have guys that we wouldn’t (otherwise) be able to bring in,” MacKinnon said. “On my next deal, I’ll take less again. Because I want to win with this group.”
