Nathan MacKinnon's next contract could surpass Connor McDavid's.

It was one of the biggest seasons in recent memory for the Colorado Avalanche this season, one that was capped off with a huge victory in the Stanley Cup playoffs, resulting in many of the Avalanche's players capturing their first ever Stanley Cup title.

Among those players was Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon who had an incredible campaign during the 2021 - 2022 regular season. MacKinnon put up a very impressive 32 goals and 56 assists for a total of 88 points in just 65 games, and added another 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points over the course of 20 playoff games on his way to hoisting the Cup.

In many ways it proved to be a career defining season for the Avalanche's superstar, and now as a result of his incredible performance there is a growing sense that MacKinnon is about to cash in huge.

On the most recent episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed his belief that MacKinnon could potentially even surpass Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid in terms of salary.

"This comes out of the Kadri situation.... Kadri I think his initial first choice was to go back to the Avalanche and obviously that didn't happen," said Friedman on the podcast. "And I think one of the things that's kind of coming out of there in the aftermath is that I'm really curious to see where we're gonna end up contract wise with Nathan MacKinnon."

"The word I've heard is that they've been talking," said Friedman. "I think it's going to be a big number. I think the best way for me to say it is that I think it's going to be a big number. I think it's a possibility, not guaranteed, but I think it's a possibility that Nathan MacKinnon could end up being the highest paid player in the league."

That means that MacKinnon would be looking at a deal that would exceed the current average annual value (AAV) of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid's contract, one that carries an AAV of $12.5 million per season. Friedman wasn't prepared to say that MacKinnon would in fact earn more than McDavid, but based on his comments it sounds like he expects it to be close.

"I do believe that the MacKinnon deal is about to be a very big one and it's possible, although not guaranteed, he could end up as the highest paid player in the league," said MacKinnon.