Cale Makar Officially Ready to Be With Avalanche for Remainder of Career
On Aug. 28, it was announced that Cale Makar made history with the Colorado Avalanche, signing the richest contract in NHL.
The defenseman signed an eight-year, $163.2 million contract at 27 years old — with the deal slated to begin next season with a $20.4 million Average Annual Value (AAV).
Makar also becomes the League's first player in history to have an AAV over $20 million. This development came to fruition as Makar had only one year remaining on his former six-year deal he signed in July of 2021.
Makar's historic contract comes after he was originally drafted at No. 4 overall by Colorado in 2017, with the blueliner now officially stating he is looking forward to playing for the Avs throughout the remainder of his career.
"I feel like now it's starting to sink in," Makar said Friday in an interview with Lauren Gardner of Altitude Sports per NHL.com, which handles the broadcasts for Avalanche games. "I think when you're going through the process, you don't really know what's going to happen. My intention was always to be an Av, hopefully for life, and I think this is a major step towards that."
Cale Makar signed the richest contract in NHL history after committing to eight more years with the @Avalanche, a team he wants to spend his entire career with.
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) August 31, 2026
Read more from @NHLMedia: https://t.co/lD4SsIoyKa pic.twitter.com/w7WKP6XJen
Avalanche, Makar Set With Each Other for Life
And Makar isn't the only one who feels grateful to be with Colorado. The Avalanche's front office made Makar's historic deal a top priority throughout the offseason.
Joe Sakic, Colorado's President of Hockey Operations/General Manager said that he's looking forward to keeping Makar around for as long as possible.
"Cale is a generational defenseman and his accomplishments speak for themselves," said Sakic. "He is obviously a tremendous competitor and player but even more so a great person, teammate and ambassador for the Avalanche and the Rocky Mountain region. We are beyond thrilled to get this deal done and have Cale in an Avalanche sweater for the next decade."
For the Avalanche, Makar helped them to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2021-22, in addition to being a two-time Norris Trophy winner.
The defenseman has also posted 507 points across his Colorado career thus far, across 136 goals and 371 assists. Makar is additionally coming off a season last year in which he posted 79 points across 20 goals and 59 assists for the Avalanche.
Makar's contract negotiations were ongoing and took some time, but Makar has said he's glad to have it over with and is looking forward to the fact that the deal provides him with the opportunity to conclude his career in Colorado.
"I'm happy to have it done, and excited to get back on the ice with all the guys," Makar also said.
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.