Cale Makar’s Negotiations Focused On Avalanche’s Long-Term Success

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and general manager Joe Sakic sat down for questions following a record-breaking contract extension on Friday. Makar will become the first player in NHL history to carry a cap hit above $20MM when the deal goes into effect in 2027. The eight-year extension will double Makar’s time in Colorado, where he has already won two Norris Trophies and one Stanley Cup.

The Avalanche’s long-term stability was a priority for Makar as he went through the negotiation process. He emphasized that to the media, including Tyler Kuehl of Daily Faceoff, saying:

I really wanted that eight years. It gives us a lot of clarity in the sense of the direction that we want to go, obviously being able to hopefully succeed over the next nine years and then have that stability and knowing that contracts there and pieces that we can build around.

Colorado will have the core of their franchise secured through the long-term after extending Makar through 2035. Both Devon Toews and Nathan MacKinnon are signed through 2031, while breakout scorer Martin Necas is signed through 2034. Those will be the pillars that the Avalanche build around over the next decade, in search of their third Stanley Cup since 2000.

The increasing salary cap – up $8.5MM headed into the 2026-27 season and expected to grow an additional $9.5MM in 2027-28 – made Makar’s record-setting price tag affordable. In fact, Sakic said that contract talks were hardly a negotiation. The team knew a deal would come together, per Sakic who gave props to Makar’s agent, Brian Bartlett, for supporting consistent communication. Sakic also dubbed Makar a “generational” talent deserving of dictating his path through the NHL.

Those factors made it possible for Colorado to, metaphorically, hand Makar a blank cheque for his next deal. The consensus top-defender used that to step $1.6MM over the NHL’s previous highest-paid player – San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, who will begin making $18.8MM a year in 2027.

Makar should be a sure bet to make good on his lofty cap hit. The 27 year old notched 20 goals and 79 points in 75 games last season. It was his third consecutive season with at least 20 goals and 70 points – though he reached 90 and 92 points over the last two, respectively. In addition to his starring role in Colorado, Makar also served as Team Canada’s top defender at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. He scored six points in as many games during the tournament and left with a Silver Medal.

Makar already holds the Avalanche records in all-time goals, assists, and points scored by a defenseman, despite still sitting 493 games back from the all-time games played title belonging to Adam Foote. He surpassed the points record in the 2023-24 season, taking it from Tyson Barrie who scored 307 points in Colorado. Makar has blazed his own trail ever since, offering the Avalanche a superstar defenseman unlike anything they’ve seen before. He will continue to cement his spot as a franchise legend over the next nine years.