Cale Makar, Avalanche Extension Reportedly Nearing End Result
Per top NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Colorado Avalanche and star defenseman Cale Makar are reportedly closing in on an extension — with an official announcement expected sooner rather than later.
As originally anticipated, Makar's extension is projected to revolve around a high number and has been indicated as one of the top recent priorities for the Colorado front office. Jonny Lazarus — another top League insider — has guessed that Makar could also be seeing an extension of a four-year, $18.5 million average annual value.
Makar's agent is through Bartlett Hockey, and the salary cap having been set at $104 million (the max AAV a player can sign being 20 percent of that $104 million) for 2026-27 has undoubtedly been a factor in the ongoing negotiations.
About to go off-line for a bit, but the much-anticipated extension for Cale Makar and Colorado is closing in
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 27, 2026
Going to be a biggie…but a critical piece of business for the Avalanche
Avalanche President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Joe Sakic has previously said that Makar — who is not even yet in his 30s and is only 27-years-old — will be finishing his League career with the Avalanche.
“Cale is going to finish his career here," Sakic has said, per NHL.com. "We're already talking to his agent, so we're confident that something's going to get worked out at some point. I mean, he's got another year, but this summer we expect to have him signed.”
This latest development comes after Makar was selected by NHL Network as the best defenseman for a fifth consecutive year — beating out the likes of defenseman Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild.
Why Is Cale Makar So Important for the Colorado Avalanche?
Makar is a two-time Norris Trophy winner. The blueliner is coming off a season posting 79 points, which consisted of 20 goals and 59 assists. The former No. 4 overall Colorado selection also recently celebrated his 500th NHL point.
He concluded the 2025-26 NHL season third among NHL defenseman in points and was a plus-40.
The Colorado star would also make history, becoming one of the few defensemen in NHL history to be named a Norris Trophy finalist for six of his first seven seasons.
Makar would also become the No. 11 defenseman in NHL history to have posted 20 goals in three consecutive seasons and was the first to do it in over three decades.
As the negotiations reach fruition, Makar currently has only one season remaining on his six-year, $54 million contract (a $9 million AAV). He originally signed in July of 2021. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NHL and the NHLPA will go into effect on Sept. 16 — it indicates teams will only be able to extend their own players for a maximum of seven years.
Jennifer Streeter graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Texas A&M and received her Master of Science from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. At both schools, she focused on an emphasis of sports reporting. A former athlete herself, "Jenny" was a varsity soccer player and comes from a family who participated in NCAA athletics. She has covered hockey since 2023 and is credentialed for the Seattle Kraken, New Jersey Devils and PWHL in addition to having covered the 2026 Frozen Four.