The Colorado Avalanche are heading toward a familiar kind of problem for a contender loaded with talent: keeping the stars, paying the right supporting pieces, and deciding who has to give.
At the center of it all is Cale Makar, the NHL’s best defenseman, who is entering a contract year and due for a major payday. Alongside him, Artturi Lehkonen is also approaching free agency, and the sense here is that the Avalanche can’t afford to let either one walk.
Lehkonen is playing on a team-friendly $4.5 million annual deal in the final year of his fifth season, and that bargain is almost certainly about to disappear. A new number could climb toward the $7 million AAV range, which would still make sense for both sides.
That leaves Colorado staring at the rest of its 2027 unrestricted free agents: Nicolas Roy, Brent Burns, and Scott Wedgewood.
Two of those names should be manageable from a cost standpoint. Roy is on a $3 million AAV, and there may be room to bring that down a bit.
Burns, who signed for another year at just $850k, shouldn’t be expensive if he sticks around at all. There’s even a possibility that this is his last year in the NHL, though the idea of one more run at a Stanley Cup wouldn’t be surprising.
Beyond the price tag, Burns also brings something the Avalanche can’t teach: veteran guidance for younger players like Sam Malinski.
Wedgewood is the wild card. If he follows up with another breakout season, he could get paid, and it would probably be worth it for Colorado.
The alternative is that he finds a more secure starting job elsewhere, and that would leave the Avalanche with a hole in goal. For a team trying to stay in the Stanley Cup hunt, having two dependable goaltenders matters.
The 2028 free-agent picture adds another layer. Brock Nelson, Josh Manson and Noah Juulsen will all be available then, and Nelson looks like a possible sacrifice if Colorado needs more flexibility to make Makar’s deal work. He’ll be 36-37 when that contract ends, so retirement could even be in play.
The bottom line is pretty clear: Makar, Lehkonen and Wedgewood are the three players Colorado has to prioritize. Makar and Lehkonen are obvious keeps, and Wedgewood, even with his age, is seen as a guy with plenty left to give. The price of locking in the top end may be thinner depth, but the Avalanche will have to find ways to replenish that through free agency or trades over the next five-plus years.
In Other News...
Cale Makar Sends A Clear Message About Colorados New-Look Roster
Cale Makar did not spend much time soft-pedaling what went wrong for the Avalanche after a strong regular season gave way to a disappointing playoff exit. He acknowledged the frustrations that came with the ending and the reality that Colorado had to absorb a tough lesson after a year that suggested a deeper run was there for the taking.
Now the focus shifts to a roster that has changed quite a bit since then, with trades and free-agent additions reshaping the group around Makar. Even with the different look, his message was clear: the standard in Colorado has not moved, and neither has the expectation that this team should be in the Stanley Cup conversation again when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Cale Makar And Colorado Are Running Out Of Time On One Decision
Cale Makar and the Avalanche are staring down a contract decision that carries more weight than the usual star extension. With the calendar moving toward the middle of September, Colorado still has a narrow window to lock in an eight-year agreement before the leagues new labor rules shorten the maximum term, turning what is normally a straightforward business item into a real franchise moment.
For the Avalanche, the choice is bigger than just years on a page. An eight-year deal would tie Makar to the organization for the long haul and shape how his place in team history is remembered, while a shorter arrangement would leave more questions about the future and could affect how Colorado manages its roster in the seasons ahead. No agreement has been reported yet, so the clock keeps ticking on one of the teams most important calls. [Read more 🡒]