Cale Makar is on the verge of a major contract extension. The 27-year-old defenseman is entering the final season of his six-year, $54-million contract with the Colorado Avalanche.
What's at stake for Cale Makar?
The question is, what will his next deal look like? With the salary cap landscape exploding, Makar may ask for $20 million a year.
How does Makar's contract compare to others?
No disrespect to Pavel Dorofeyev, but if he's worth $11 million a year, what's the No. 1 defenseman in the world worth? The max a player can sign for under the new $104 million salary cap for 2026-27 is $20.8 million.
What's the expected outcome for Makar's extension?
In a vacuum, very few people would take issue if Makar did ask for $20 million. However, the balance will be to find something that works and still allows Colorado to keep the depth to contend.
The Avs are loaded up to win now. There's a reason the best player in the world, Connor McDavid, signed for $12.5 million instead of the $20 million he should be making.
Somewhere between $17 million and $18 million is maybe the sweet spot, depending on term. Either way, we shouldn’t expect a Makar extension on Wednesday, according to league sources.
The latest on other stars who can extend as of Wednesday includes Quinn Hughes, who is expected to sign a three-year extension with the Minnesota Wild. The question is, what's the AAV for that three-year deal? $15 million? $16 million? $18 million?
On July 1, the NHL will see a flurry of activity, with unrestricted free agents hitting the open market. But it’s also the first day that players with one year left on their contracts can extend. Makar's extension will be a major storyline to watch.
Makar's reps, brothers Brian and Scott Bartlett, will play a key role in negotiations. The Avalanche will need to balance Makar's contract with the need to keep a deep roster.
The NHL salary cap is expected to increase to $113.5 million in 2027-28. This will give the Avalanche more flexibility to sign Makar to a long-term deal.
As the NHL offseason heats up, all eyes will be on Makar and the Avalanche. Will they be able to come to an agreement on a contract extension? Only time will tell.
The Avalanche have a history of signing their star players to long-term deals. Nathan MacKinnon, the team's captain, signed a seven-year extension in 2022.
Makar's contract extension will have a significant impact on the Avalanche's roster. The team will need to make decisions on other players to ensure they have enough cap space to sign Makar.
The NHL free agency period is always full of surprises. But one thing is certain: Cale Makar will be a top priority for the Avalanche this offseason.