There have been some justifiable jitters following the Cale Makar contract signed last week.
The biggest question mark has been the Avalanche’s cap situation, particularly when considering the record-setting deal’s impact on the club’s overall salary allocation.
On the whole, Colorado fans have little to worry about. A cursory look at PuckPedia shows that the Avalanche have about $11.6 million in cap space for 2027-28. That’s AFTER including Makar’s cap hit.
That looks pretty good.
It gives Joe Sakic plenty of flexibility moving forward. Everyone on the team is pretty much under contract for next season. There are only four players set to become UFAs: Artturi Lehkonen, Nic Roy, Brent Burns, and Scott Wedgewood.
The easiest name to cross off the list here would be Burns. At 41, he might be getting ready to retire after this season. If he does, he’ll make the ultimate decision easy for the organization. If he wants to return, that will be another easy decision.
As for Lehkonen and Roy, if Sakic could keep their cap hits where they are right now, that would be about $8 million against the cap combined. That situation could leave about $3 million to sign a backup goalie and a seventh defenseman. That is, of course, assuming that Wedgewood doesn’t return after this season. But assuming that Wedgewood returns at $2.5 million, the Avalanche would still have some breathing room for another blueliner to round out the team.
That’s why, on the whole, there really isn’t much to worry about in Colorado.
Long-term projections look promising for Avalanche
One of the biggest criticisms of the Avalanche is the seemingly dwindling competitive window. With Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar as the core, Colorado will need to continue building around their two franchise cornerstones.
And that’s where the outlook, particularly for the 2028-29 season, could help the club replenish the lineup with younger alternatives.
As it stands, Colorado has a projected $36.7 million in cap space ahead of the 2028-29 season. That should be plenty of cap space to potentially replace Brock Nelson and Josh Manson. That’s not bad, considering that Fedor Svechkov, Zachary L’Heureux, and Gavin Brindley are set to become RFAs.
So, would $36 million be enough to find a second-line center, a top-four defenseman, and round out the bottom six?
It’s certainly doable.
The challenge will be finding the right pieces. But you have to think that Joe Sakic has already begun to figure out what his options may be. Those options will likely come in free agency. If they do, the Avalanche may be able to pull off a mini retool on the fly and ensure they remain relevant for another half-decade.
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