The Colorado Avalanche have signed 20-year-old forward Nathan MacKinnon to a seven-year, $44.1 million deal, the club announced Friday afternoon.
The deal, apart from being an enormous sum of money for someone who can't yet legally drink in Colorado, will keep the 6-foot, 195-pound center in Colorado through the 2022-23 season.
Last year in his third season, MacKinnon registered 21 goals and 31 assists. As a rookie in 2013-14, he scored 24 goals and racked up 39 assists.
The Avalanche selected MacKinnon first overall in the 2013 Early Entry Draft. He was the youngest player ever to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.
“Signing Nathan to a long-term contract was a priority this offseason,” general manager Joe Sakic said in the press release. “He is going to be a key part of our team for many years to come, and it was important to secure his rights moving forward.”
