One of the major items on the Colorado Avalanche’s offseason docket is extending Cale Makar. That’s a topic we’ve been covering extensively here at Mile High Sticking.
And it’s one that should dominate the summer headlines in Colorado.
But according to insider Pierre LeBrun, fans shouldn’t expect a contract extension just yet. In a June 29 piece in The Athletic, LeBrun discussed Cale Makar’s next contract. In particular, the notable insider focused on the timeline for a potential deal to get hammered out.
“…we shouldn’t expect a Makar extension Wednesday, according to league sources, who were granted anonymity to address negotiations that aren’t public. There really hasn’t been much work done on it yet. But both sides intend to get to it sometime this summer, to be sure.”
It makes sense that the Avalanche and Makar’s camp haven’t really talked much about the situation. The Norris Trophy finalist’s injury late in the season, the prolonged playoff run, and likely ongoing medical treatments have taken up the bulk of the attention thus far this offseason.
So, it shouldn’t be surprising that a contract extension isn’t the main topic of conversation, especially with Cale Makar still having one more year on his current deal.
LeBrun predicts Cale Makar’s next cap hit
Beyond the extension itself, which everyone believes will get done, the sticking point could be the dollars and cents.
One interesting issue that LeBrun brought up is that the New York Rangers’ paying $11 million for Pavel Dorofeyev sucks much of the leverage away from the Avalanche.
LeBrun argues that if a guy like Dorofeyev can get $11 million per season, how much should one of the top-five best players in the world get?
That’s a question that has a simple answer. Since teams can only sign a player up to 20% of the team’s entire cap allocation, Cale Makar should get $20.8 million AAV. That would seem reasonable. However, the issue here is that the Avalanche are in win-now mode. That’s why tying up so much money after this upcoming season could come back to bite them.
So, LeBrun believes that Makar should land somewhere between $17 million and $18 million per season.
One of the things I’ve posited here is that such a number would be too high, considering the Avalanche’s current contender status. That’s why Makar’s camp and the Avalanche will find a middle-ground solution. The likeliest path forward will be a short-term extension very similar to what Connor McDavid did in Edmonton.
No, Cale Makar won’t re-sign for the same cap hit he has now. But it wouldn’t be surprising for the two sides to agree on something like a two-year deal worth something similar to what Nathan MacKinnon’s current hit is.
Let’s say then that Makar signs a two-year pact worth $12.5 million. Makar gets paid without crippling the Avalanche’s financial situation. Both parties can then resume contract extension talks in the summer of 2028, when the cap ceiling will be $123 million.
At that point, Cale Makar could easily get close to $20 million AAV due to the much higher cap ceiling.
Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks. There’s no reason for anyone to push the panic button just yet. The offseason is just getting started, and the priority involving Makar at this juncture is most likely his health.
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