Predicting Cale Makar’s Next Contract for the Colorado Avalanche
It's a known fact that the Colorado Avalanche want blueliner Cale Makar on their roster until his retirement.
Makar is a two-time Norris Trophy winner and is coming off a 2025-26 NHL season in which he tallied 79 points across 20 goals and 59 assists, in addition to him hitting his 500th League point milestone. His 79 points put him as the Avalanche's third-leading point producer, with him also being nominated as a Norris Trophy finalist for the sixth straight year.
As such, it's no wonder why Colorado wants him to stick around after they originally drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick back at the 2017 NHL Draft.
However, Makar only has one season remaining on his six-year, $54 million contract (featuring a $9 million AAV). He originally signed in July of 2021 and is now eligible to sign an extension, as its past July 1 on the calendar.
What Could Cale Makar's Contract Extension Look Like?
So, the clock is ticking, and everyone is wondering what Makar's future deal could look like.
Well, League insider Elliotte Friedman said on a recent episode of his 32 Thoughts podcast that Makar will likely be able to get everything he'll want out of a contract extension.
“He’s gonna get whatever he wants," Friedman had said.
With that in mind, what could the 2022 Stanley Cup Champion be looking at more specifically on his new deal?
For 2026-27, the salary cap has been set at $104 million — with the max AAV a player can sign being 20 percent of that $104 million. As such, the maximum individual salary will be around $20.8 million AAV. While a number this high would likely create a tough situation for the Avalanche in terms of the salary situation, it's still certainly within the cards.
Makar, at 27, is a key piece of the Avalanche's core. President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Joe Sakic has also said that contract negotiations are already ongoing with Makar's agent through Bartlett Hockey.
“Cale is going to finish his career here," Sakic said in a recent article from 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.”
With contract negotiations already being underway, it's worthwhile for Colorado fans to recognize that it is very well possible that Makar could become the highest paid defenseman in the NHL after he extends with the Avalanche; after all, Bowen Byram with the Chicago Blackhawks has a $12.5 million AAV kicking in for the 2027-28 season, which currently gives him this title.
It really is just a matter of time, but it could be a process that takes some time. Only time will tell how much Makar will be getting paid under his new deal, and whether he surpasses Byram's mark.
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.