The Colorado Avalanche could look like cheapskates following Kirill Kaprizov’s mega-contract with the Minnesota Wild.
The ramifications of Kaprizov’s deal are just beginning to be felt throughout the NHL. Kaprizov has set a new high-water mark for NHL contracts. As such, impending free agents like Martin Necas are anticipating how other clubs will react to the Wild’s historic move.
But the Avalanche don’t look like cheapskates because of Necas. The Avs look like penny pinchers because of Mikko Rantanen.
The entire Rantanen saga is well-documented. The outcome was Rantanen signing a $96 million, eight-year extension with the Dallas Stars. That’s $12 million AAV. The Toronto Maple Leafs had reportedly offered more.
Be that as it may, the Avalanche balked at paying Rantanen similar to or slightly more than Nathan MacKinnon. Now, I get where the Avalanche are coming from. They didn’t want anyone else to eclipse their star.
But you have to wonder. If Kaprizov, who’s roughly on par with Rantanen, can fetch $17 million AAV, wouldn’t $12 million or so look like a deal now?
The worst part is that contracts are only going to go up from here. If Kaprizov could get that much, imagine how much MacKinnon could land on the open market today. The fact is that the Avalanche, while potentially being unable to imagine what the Wild were going to do, dropped the ball due to their coupon-clipping ways.
Colorado missed an opportunity to lock up one of the franchise’s best players. Now, they’ll either have to pay Necas or find a deal that makes the most sense to the team.
Colorado Avalanche won’t be able to sidestep Cale Makar’s megadeal
While Connor McDavid could very well blow the doors off Kaprizov’s megadeal, another megadeal looms on the horizon: Cale Makar. Makar will be eligible to sign an extension next summer. And as soon as July 1, 2026, comes, fans will be shouting at the club to lock up its franchise defenseman.
In short, the demand will be, “Pay the man.” Makar is 26 and already a two-time Norris Trophy, Calder Trophy, Conn Smythe, and Stanley Cup winner. Another Norris Trophy this season and/or a 100-point campaign will push Makar’s next contract into the stratosphere.
The Avalanche won’t be able to sidestep paying Makar. The club will likely have to level with MacKinnon and make it clear that Makar deserves to get paid. The cap ceiling will rise, so the team will have the space to sign Makar.
As for how much he could get, well, the short answer is that Makar should become the NHL’s highest-paid defenseman. As for precisely how much that will be, it depends on how much Makar is willing to play ball.
Don’t be surprised to see Makar cut the Avalanche a break by signing a short-term deal at a reasonable AAV. A two to three-year contract could be enough to kick the can down the road and reassess the market when the cap has gone up even further.
In the meantime, keep an eye on Rasmus Andersson. He’ll be the best free-agent defenseman this season. Whatever he gets on his next contract could serve as leverage for Makar’s camp. Sure, Andersson is not at the same level as Makar. But overpaying for Andersson could merely drive the price for Makar even higher.