Friday evening, the news of Cale Makar's record-breaking contract extension was announced. Almost immediately, the anxiety of whether or not a deal would get done was replaced by a new worry. The worry among Avalanche fans was about how $20.4 million looks against the allowed cap.
Some folks see a number like that and immediately start to sweat like it's their own budget being eaten up by a very large, very special boy from Alberta. It may be impossible to alleviate every person's fear, but I do want to make one thing clear. Cale Makar is worth it. We can, in fact, have nice things, and sometimes they cost a billionaire $163.2 million.
Let us not forget that we are talking about the best defenseman in professional hockey. Cale Makar is precisely who a team should be willing to break the bank for. Having Makar under contract for the next nine seasons ensures that a truly generational talent will spend the prime of his career in burgundy and blue.
This was always the plan
The Colorado Avalanche planned for this eventuality for years in advance. Indeed, not being able to satisfy Mikko Rantanen and his contract demands was an early sign that this was the path forward. That was a hefty sacrifice to pay, but ultimately acceptable to the organization.
Makar will be 28 years old on October 30th. As much as some want to criticize this deal as too pricey, I would contend that over half of National Hockey League teams would pick Makar as the player to build around in some fantasy draft scenario.
Makar is the gold standard for modern hockey. His arrival as a preeminent offensive-minded defenseman changed what all scouts look for in prospects. In a sense, Makar broke the mold and became the new one everyone wants to emulate. This is because his on-ice impact is unmatched.
Colorado's decision to extend Makar was a given. The price may have gone up slightly over the summer, with two major deals being finalized first. The Macklin Celebrini extension in San Jose and the Leo Carlsson deal in Anaheim were both short-lived record contracts. Although if you are looking to cast blame on someone for the Carlsson bombshell, maybe point that ire at Philadelphia's Danny Briere for that bonkers offer sheet.
Once those contracts for $18 million and $18.8 million AAV set new high bars, Makar topping $20 million per year was all but guaranteed. With due respect to Carlsson and Celebrini, they are not at Cale Makar's level of awesome.
Carlsson at that number especially strains credulity. He is a rising star, to be sure, but hasn't even hit 70 points in a season yet! That was a case of a GM with nothing to lose handcuffing one emerging club and laughing as the rest of the NHL adjusts to higher spending.
For Macklin Celebrini, I see it as a little more reasonable, simply because his early numbers are eye-popping. Celebrini put up 115 points in his sophomore season, outstripping modern phenoms like Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid at that stage in their careers. In short, Celebrini could be that next generational talent that shifts the paradigm of expectations for young prospects.
I would still say that Makar's impact on the defensive game has had a corresponding ripple effect for forwards as well. To put it more bluntly, now that more D-men make jumping up in the offensive zone a signature part of their repertoire, your more traditional scorers see their opportunities and numbers skyrocket.
Makar was always going to secure this bag. As much as it might feel alarming today, past trends that suggest this will work in Colorado's favor in the long term.
The Nathan MacKinnon Example
Consider for a moment the current contract of Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche have MacKinnon secured at $12.6 million for the next five seasons. Today, everyone agrees that this number is a relative steal in the 2026 market. In fact, here at MHS we have called it the league's biggest bargain. That was a reasonable take last September. As was the more recent article on why MacKinnon is underpaid. The latter was an in-house reaction to an opinion piece in The Athletic.
What is gratifying about this reality is knowing that Colorado can rely on this duo for years to come and understanding that, due to the inflationary nature of everything, the cap will continue to go up. Makar's new burly cap hit doesn't go into effect this coming campaign. Instead, it will kick in next year.
Yes, the Avalanche will tighten their belt for two to three seasons, when that $20.4 AAV will seem especially heavy. But soon enough, the cap and other deals will follow suit. The Colorado Avalanche remain incredibly fortunate to have Makar on their roster.
There has been some discussion online that frames this deal as selfish by Makar. The line of argument says that MacKinnon, by contrast, was generous to the team. That is frankly silly and not supported by facts. In 2022, when MacKinnon signed his own eight-year extension, the $100 million deal was all about what the market would bear.
In raw numbers, it made MacKinnon the highest-paid player in the league. At the time, it just barely topped Connor McDavid's $12.5 AAV. So please, Avs Faithful, live up to our own chosen name in fandom and have a little more faith. Soon enough, an embarrassing number of players will be paid more, but they won't be better.
Cale Makar deserves to be the highest-paid player in hockey. If this contract gives you pause or hurts that pocketbook in your heart, I advise you to hide your eyes next summer. Stan Kroenke and the KSE empire will once again pry open the bank vault and break records to extend Nikola Jokic.
Speaking once more on what the market will bear — NBA money is in another universe. As is NFL money, and on and on. What's more important is that with owners committed to winning, both teams in the Mile High City have been able to retain elite, franchise-defining talents.
This contract has rightly been cast as a watershed moment for the club. It is, in essence, everything about Colorado striving to maintain a championship culture. Make no mistake, Makar is the future captain of this team, and I couldn't be more sure of that after Friday.
As an Avalanche fan, even if you have second-hand anxiety about an impending cap crunch, remember how undeniably skilled Makar is at everything surrounding sticks and pucks. This is a player who has already achieved enough to be listed among all-time greats. Having a player of this caliber become synonymous with your favorite team is one of the biggest joys in sports.
Add us as a preferred source on Google