Every summer, the same NHL argument comes roaring back: a star signs for a mountain of money, and everyone rushes to ask whether it’s too much.
That framing misses the bigger point. The real issue isn’t whether players like Cale Makar, Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews are worth what they get.
At the top of the sport, the answer is usually obvious enough. Elite players move games, fill buildings and deliver the kind of moments fans never forget.
The harder part is what happens after the contract is signed.
Hockey still demands a full roster, not just one dazzling name at the top of the lineup. A team needs scoring beyond the first line, dependable defence, goaltending, penalty killing, role players and young players on cheaper deals who can grow into bigger jobs. That’s where the salary cap turns every decision into a trade-off.
Pay a few stars a huge share of the cap, and something else has to be squeezed. Maybe it’s the third line.
Maybe it’s the blue line. Maybe it’s the backup goalie.
Maybe it’s the extra piece that would have helped in the playoffs but no longer fits.
That’s why the question isn’t really whether superstars should be paid less. It’s that the NHL has built a system that forces teams to choose.
Connor McDavid is arguably the best player in the world, and nobody really argues that point. But hockey isn’t basketball.
One player can’t control everything on every shift. Even the best player on the ice needs help.
That’s the challenge for general managers now: they’re not just collecting talent, they’re solving a puzzle.
How much can you pay the stars? How much do you need to leave for the players who make the stars better? How do you build a team where the last guy on the roster still matters?
Maybe that’s where roster building is headed next. Not toward more star power - everyone is already chasing that - but toward the tougher balance between the names on the highlight reel and the players who actually help win games.
And if you want a benchmark for all this, the numbers are telling. In my initial research, the only time I found the highest-paid player also winning the Cup was Peter Forsberg. He was tied for the NHL’s highest-paid player at $10 million, and the Avalanche won the Cup in 2001.
Now Colorado has pushed Cale Makar to the top of the league’s pay scale at $20.4 million. That doesn’t answer the question by itself, but it does sharpen it.
The Cup doesn’t go to the team with the biggest paycheck. It goes to the group that gets the most out of every player from top to bottom.
So maybe the real question isn’t whether a superstar is worth $20 million. It’s what that contract keeps you from putting around him.
In Other News...
Avalanche Under-25 Rankings Just Sparked A New Future Core Debate
A fresh under-25 ranking around the Avalanche has turned into a useful snapshot of where the organization sees its next wave of talent. Mile High Hockey staff members teamed up to sort the clubs top 25 players under the age of 25 as of Sept. 1, 2026, with goaltender Ilya Nabokov landing at No. 1 and a couple of young names drawing extra attention for climbing the board. Christian Humphreys and Francesco DellElce stood out as the biggest risers, which is exactly the kind of movement that tends to get a fan base talking about who might matter most a year or two down the road.
The conversation did not stop with the list itself. A social-media fan poll added another layer by gauging how supporters felt about the rankings, and the biggest reactions clustered around Tory Pitner and Axel Eloffson. For a team trying to map out its future core, those responses are part of the point: the Avalanches next group of contributors is still taking shape, and the debate over who belongs where is already lively enough to spill beyond the staff room. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face A Tough Lehkonen Decision Before His Price Climbs
Artturi Lehkonen is heading into a season that already carries more than the usual contract-year noise. The Avalanche winger is set to play on a $4.5 million cap hit, and with unrestricted free agency looming next summer, Colorado is staring at a familiar front-office balancing act: reward a reliable player now, or wait and risk the market pushing his price beyond what the club can comfortably manage.
Joe Sakic has not sounded eager to rush the issue, and that makes sense with the Avalanche trying to keep an eye on projected salary cap space. Lehkonen is also at a point in his career where the next contract could be the one big payday, especially as he approaches 32. For Colorado, the challenge is clear enough - if they believe in his value, the cost may only get steeper the longer they let it sit. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Still Have One Blue Line Question To Solve
With training camp and the new season drawing closer, one of Colorados quieter offseason questions is whether Nick Blankenburg fits back into the picture on the blue line. The defenseman joined the Avalanche last season and, for a team that is always trying to balance depth, flexibility and cap space, he represents the kind of low-cost option that can matter more than it first appears.
The catch is that the Avalanche are working with limited salary cap room, so even a modest move has to be fit in carefully. A Professional Tryout deal or a league-minimum contract would be the simplest path if Colorado wants to keep Blankenburg around, but the roster math still has to work out first, which leaves one more item on the offseason checklist before the back end feels settled. [Read more 🡒]