The Colorado Avalanche have one obvious offseason priority staring them in the face: get Cale Makar locked up. But there’s a second deadline baked into this situation that makes the timing even more important. Colorado needs to sign Makar before September 16.
That date matters because the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA goes into effect then. Once it does, contract rules change, and one of the biggest shifts involves term length.
Right now, teams can sign their own players to eight-year deals. Free agents are limited to seven. That’s part of why teams have used sign-and-trade setups to squeeze in an extra year, like the Toronto Maple Leafs did with Darren Raddysh and the Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights did last season with Mitch Marner.
Under the new CBA, that changes. Teams will only be able to give their own players seven years, while free agents will be capped at six.
That might sound like a small adjustment, but it has real financial consequences. A contract stretched over eight years can be spread out differently than one stretched over seven, and that shift can push the total cost of deals even higher.
For Makar, the timing could shape the kind of contract he eventually signs. If the Avalanche get something done before the new CBA takes effect, they could offer him eight years. Makar is entering the final year of his current deal at 27, and if his next contract starts after the new rules kick in, he’ll be 28 when it begins.
An eight-year deal from there would run through his age-36 season. That would likely be his last real shot at a long-term contract if he’s still performing at a high level past 35.
But a shorter deal changes the math. If Makar signs for something in the three- to four-year range, he could position himself for two or three more contracts down the line instead of settling for one massive payday now. With the salary cap climbing, that path could be more lucrative over time.
The 2028-29 season is projected to have a $123 million cap ceiling, and a two-year deal would get Makar to that point. At that stage, Colorado could be in a position to pay him a higher AAV than it can today.
PuckPedia projects the Avalanche will have about $57 million in cap space by 2028-29, which would leave the team with plenty of room to pay Makar whatever he wants without wrecking its finances.
So from a cost-certainty standpoint, the cleanest move for Colorado is to get Makar signed now. Still, a short-term deal would not be a surprise.
That wouldn’t necessarily mean Makar is looking to leave. It would simply reflect the reality that the rising cap could let the Avalanche pay him handsomely later without putting the team in a bind.