“Time will tell” – Avalanche hopeful to sign an extension with center Nathan Mackinnon before 13th July
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Joe Sakic plans on signing Nathan Mackinnon before 13th July 2022
On Thursday general manager Joe Sakic said that the team is hoping to sign a contract extension this offseason to keep center Nathan Mackinnon with the team. He still has one season left on his current contract and has claimed the third in NHL with 442 points since 2017-18. The 26-year-old center is entering the final season of its 7-year contract, signed in July 2016 worth $44.1 million.
At the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft, Joe Sakic said, “I mean, it doesn’t have to be before free agency. Obviously, he’s got another year, but we’re hoping to have something done with him, an extension, this summer”. Mackinnon had 88 points with 32 goals and 56 assists in 65 games this season and 24 points with 13 goals and 11 assists in 20 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Joe Sakic is positive about signing Nathan Mackinnon
From 2017-18 Nathan Mackinnon had 442 points with 167 goals and 275 assists in 338 games, he is third in the NHL. Mackinnon’s signup will dictate what decision the team and management will make regarding the other unrestricted free agents. Their UFA include, Andre Burakovsky, Darren Helm, Nazem Kadri, Valeri Nichushkin, Nico Strum, Jack Johnson, Josh Manson, and Ryan Murray.
According to denverfan.com, Sakic noted, “It has to be because we have to look to the future”. “We have a kind of a ballpark, well we believe we have a ballpark on where that’s going to go.” Although he accepted the fact that all the players can’t be chosen, Mackinnon’s decision will definitely give them some clarity to keep few of their players from July 13th.
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Sakic added, “I’m not going to detail on with who, but we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to make an announcement and not have all of them go to the market on Wednesday”. “We know we’re not going to be able to sign everybody. We know that. But we’ve got our priority, and I think some players will test the market, see what’s out there for them, and see if they want to come back to us. Time will tell.”
One player Avalanche already moved on from is goaltender Darcy Kuemper. The Avalanche acquired Alexander Georgiev in a trade with the Rangers on Thursday for a third and fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft, and a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. Sakic commented, “It was hard to phone Darcy and tell him we’re moving on.” “It was hard and I know it was probably difficult for him, but he’s going to do great wherever he goes. I’m sure there’s a bunch of teams that will try to sign him.”
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Kaushani Chatterjee
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