Cale Makar Is Staying in Colorado—The Real Battle Is Over How Much He Gets Paid

For Colorado Avalanche fans, the lack of a Cale Makar extension might be starting to feel a little too familiar.

After watching Mikko Rantanen leave Colorado, there is an understandable fear that another franchise cornerstone could eventually walk away. Makar, however, is a very different situation—and Avalanche fans shouldn’t be preparing themselves for another Rantanen-type departure.

Makar is going to re-sign in Colorado.

The question isn’t whether the Avalanche will keep their superstar defenseman. The question is how much it is going to cost them.

And that is where things get complicated.

Makar is entering the final season of his contract, and after establishing himself as arguably the best defenseman in hockey, he is going to have an opportunity to command a life-changing payday. With the salary cap continuing to rise and the NHL’s contract market being pushed to new heights, this isn’t going to be a deal that gets completed overnight.

But that shouldn’t be mistaken for a problem.

One thing I learned during my years covering boxing is that the biggest fights rarely come together quickly.

There are countless reasons for that in boxing—networks, promoters, sanctioning bodies, venues, television rights, purse splits and championship politics can turn a seemingly simple fight into a negotiation that drags on for months or even years.

Hockey doesn’t have nearly that level of chaos.

But when you’re talking about a contract potentially worth more than $130-$140 million, negotiations are still negotiations.

Nobody should expect Makar, his representatives and the Avalanche to casually shake hands on a number and call it a day.

The landscape has also changed dramatically in recent weeks.

Leo Carlsson signed a five-year contract with an $18 million average annual value, and Macklin Celebrini subsequently pushed the NHL’s AAV record to $18.8 million. Those contracts have given Makar’s camp even more information to work with as they determine what an elite player in his position should command.

And Makar is not just another elite player.

He is the face of the Avalanche’s defense, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, a Stanley Cup champion and the Conn Smythe Trophy winner from Colorado’s 2022 championship run.

He’s earned the right to ask for an enormous number.

Let’s be clear about something: Cale Makar is going to make an absurd amount of money on his next contract.

He deserves it.

The only question is where the Avalanche and Makar ultimately draw the line.

Could Makar command $20 million per season?

Maybe.

Would he be deserving of it?

Absolutely.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean Colorado should hand him the largest contract in NHL history.

There is a difference between paying a player what he’s worth and building a championship roster around that player.

The Avalanche already have Nathan MacKinnon under contract. Martin Necas is part of the long-term picture. Gabriel Landeskog remains a major piece of the organization. And if Colorado wants to keep its Stanley Cup window open for years to come, it cannot afford to build a roster where an enormous percentage of its salary cap is tied up in a handful of players while the depth around them deteriorates.

That’s the balancing act Joe Sakic and the Avalanche have to navigate.

Makar could very well become the highest-paid defenseman in NHL history.

I just don’t believe he’ll become the highest-paid player in the league.

And frankly, that may be better for everyone involved.

The most important piece of this entire situation is something that has gotten lost in the conversation: Colorado wants Makar, and Makar has every reason to want Colorado.

Sakic has already made the organization’s position abundantly clear, saying in June that Makar is going to finish his career with the Avalanche and that getting an extension done was the team’s top offseason priority.

That doesn’t sound like an organization preparing for another Rantanen situation.

Makar has spent his entire NHL career in Colorado. He has won a Stanley Cup here. He has won two Norris Trophies here. He has become one of the most recognizable and beloved athletes in the franchise’s history.

More importantly, the Avalanche remain a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

That’s important.

Players don’t simply make decisions based on the biggest possible number. Winning matters. Fit matters. Stability matters. Legacy matters.

Makar has all of those things in Colorado.

So while it’s fair for Avalanche fans to keep an eye on the situation, there is a big difference between not being signed yet and wanting to leave.

Those are not the same thing.

There is, however, one legitimate reason this negotiation carries some urgency.

The NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement takes effect on September 16, 2026. Under the new agreement, contracts signed with a player’s current team will be capped at seven years rather than eight.

That means if Colorado and Makar want to maximize the term of his next contract, they have a very real deadline approaching.

An eight-year extension could potentially put Makar’s total contract value somewhere in the neighborhood of $132 million to $136 million, depending on where the final annual value lands. Nobody should be surprised that both sides are taking their time to make sure they get it right.

The Avalanche have to determine what number allows them to keep Makar happy without compromising their ability to build a championship-caliber roster around him.

Makar has to determine what number properly reflects his value while giving him the long-term security he deserves.

Neither side benefits from rushing that process.

This is probably the most important distinction for Avalanche fans.

Rantanen’s departure understandably left a scar.

But assuming every major contract negotiation will end the same way is dangerous.

Makar isn’t Rantanen.

The circumstances aren’t the same.

The Avalanche aren’t approaching this negotiation unaware of the importance of the player involved. They have already publicly identified Makar’s extension as a priority, and Sakic has gone as far as saying he expects the defenseman to finish his career in Colorado.

The organization knows exactly what is at stake.

So does Makar.

That doesn’t guarantee there won’t be difficult negotiations. It doesn’t mean the final number won’t make Avalanche fans gasp. And it certainly doesn’t mean there won’t be moments when the lack of an announcement causes speculation to explode.

But none of that means Makar is leaving.

Relax.

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