Should Colorado Avalanche Fans be Worried About the Lack of a Cale Makar Extension?

Cale Makar will be one of the biggest free agents in the NHL in 2027, so should Colorado Avalanche fans be worried that it's August and he's still not signed?

Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the past decade, the Colorado Avalanche have been arguably the NHL's most star studded teams, and while they've only come away with one Stanley Cup, their fans have been lucky enough to watch the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen play huge roles with the organization.

While the latter was traded, the team won the Presidents' Trophy in 2025/26 with Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog also playing key roles in their top-six, and although their Stanley Cup window remains open, the departure of either No. 8 or 29 could change things dramatically.

Both are locked in ahead of the 2026/27 season, but Makar will be a free agent at season’s end, with fans in Colorado hoping that their superstar defenseman will remain with the team for a long, long time to come.

Will Cale Makar Re-Sign in Colorado?

Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On paper, it's the perfect fit for Makar, as he has played his entire NHL career with the organization after making his debut in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the 470 regular-season games since that point, he's posted 136 goals and 507 points, winning two Norris Trophies, one Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe since then.

Not only that, but he's become absolutely beloved, and with the consistent regular-season winning, he and MacKinnon are the perfect pairing, and it wouldn't make much sense for him to break that up.

On top of that, the Avalanche are prepared to make him the highest-paid player in the NHL, a title currently belonging to Macklin Celebrini at $18.8 million AAV, but after so long in Colorado, there's a chance he may be looking for a change.

Should Avalanche Fans be Worried That Cale Makar Still Isn't Signed?

Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In 2025, ahead of free agency in 2026, we saw the likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Kirill Kaprizov all sign extensions a year ahead of time, and next year, the free agency crop looks just as star-studded, with Makar as the biggest name.

While he's under no obligation to sign 12 months ahead of free agency, the fact that the Avalanche and Makar haven't come to terms is somewhat worrying, and given the team’s Stanley Cup goals in 2026/27, if everything was great in Colorado, Makar would likely have signed a long-term deal worth anywhere from $16-20 million per season already.

That's not to say that he won't sign ahead of the 2026/27 season still, but given how crucial Makar is to the future and present success of the Avalanche, at almost 28 years old, his not signing right now could be saying something.

However, the three above took their time as well, with McDavid signing his two-year extension on October 6th, Kaprizov signing his eight-year deal on September 30th and Eichel inking an eight-year deal on October 8th.

What that tells us is that sometimes these moves take time, and with the changes the Avalanche have undergone on the ice and behind the scenes this summer, this is a move that's simply taking time, and with the rising salary cap that's seen two players sign for $18 million or more this summer, that muddies the water here too.

Ultimately, fans can feel how they want about this situation, and if Makar goes into the 2026/27 season un-signed, there may be legitimate concern for his future in Colorado, but for now, there's no reason to rush this, especially if the Avalanche want to balance extending their star defenseman with giving themselves flexibility financially along with Stanley Cup contention moving forward.