Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is coming up on the last year of his current contract and is due for another one.
On his current deal, Makar is making $9 million per season. You obviously don’t bump up a player’s pay by $11 million if he’s not worth it. He is obviously the most deserving defensive player for that type of money.
Elliotte Friedman drops 2026-27 salary cap knowledge that will affect the Colorado Avalanche’s negotiations with Cale Makar
According to Elliotte Friedman, the NHL salary cap should get a jump from this year’s $96 million to a maximum of $104 million. Per Friedman, the maximum average annual value (AAV) a team would be allowed to offer a single player is $20.8 million.
There’s no doubt that Makar will receive a substantial raise from the Avalanche. The question is, how much?
Rumors are swirling that his next contract will be around or possibly even north of $20 million per year. He’s the only defenseman in the league worth that type of raise and he will get at least that much.
Makar has had three 20+ goal seasons in a row, including a 30-goal campaign that he accomplished in 2024-25. Unfortunately, he missed 17 games this past season, and finished with 20 goals and 59 assists while also putting up a plus-minnus of +32, the second-highest total of his career.
Makar’s career accolades include winning the Norris Trophy twice (2021-22, 2024-25), Conn Smythe (2021-22), Calder Memorial (2019-20) and earning a Stanley Cup with Colorado after the 2021-22 season.
He is basically the definition of an elite hockey player. While he is widely known for his offensive game, he can stick with the best of the best opponents and get the puck away from them with consistent ease. He’s a complete defenseman. A lot of the defensemen in the NHL are good at maybe a handful of things, while Makar is widely known as being good or elite at a lot more.
This past season, the Avalanche had a record of 51-14-10 with Makar in the lineup. While they had a winning record without him in the lineup this season, it’s clear that the team’s defensive game struggles when he is not around.
Nobody should buy into the idea that either Makar or the Avalanche would even entertain parting ways. There is basically a less-than-zero percent chance of that happening, especially now with the upcoming increase in the salary cap.
Add us as a preferred source on Google