The Colorado Avalanche have already handled one massive piece of business by locking up Cale Makar on the NHL’s most lucrative contract. That solved one headache. It did not end the conversation.
The next major move sitting in front of the team is Jared Bednar. The winningest coach in franchise history is heading into the final year of his contract, and while there does not appear to be real alarm around the situation, it is still the kind of detail that gets attention when a team is trying to stay in the contender lane.
Joe Sakic tried to calm any nerves last week after the Avalanche alumni game, and The Denver Post quoted him saying a deal is expected to come together soon.
"Everything's great. Not worried about that.
There's been coaches, been players that have entered the last year of their deals before, and there's going to be in the future. Not really concerned about that, and I don't think Jared is either.”
That is about as clear a public signal as Colorado can send without actually putting pen to paper. The Makar situation had more weight and more noise around it, but Bednar’s status still matters. Fans have every reason to watch it closely.
From the outside, extending Bednar looks like the easiest call on the board. He has taken some heat since the Avalanche won the Cup in 2022, but the picture is not as simple as a coach getting judged by one season or one stretch of results. There have been other factors shaping Colorado’s chase for another title.
One of the bigger ones, as has been pointed out over the summer, is the schedule. Last season may have been the club’s best shot, but it did not unfold the way the Avalanche hoped. This year, with 84 games notwithstanding, the calendar is less jammed than it has been over the past two seasons.
That matters. Less compression should mean less grind on the roster, especially for Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. It also gives Colorado reason to feel better about what the 2026-27 season could look like.
If the Avalanche take care of Bednar, the rest of the picture starts to look much cleaner. Outside of the usual battles for spots in the bottom six during training camp, the lineup appears largely settled.
In Other News...
Cale Makar Does More For The Avalanche Than Most Fans Realize
Cale Makar has built a reputation around the kind of brilliance that shows up on highlight reels, but his value to the Avalanche goes well beyond the offensive instincts that usually get the attention. What stands out just as much is how well he reads the game from the back end, plays angles, uses his physicality when needed, and helps shut down chances before they become problems.
He also gives Colorado something harder to quantify: a steadying presence in the room and on the ice. Makar has taken on a leadership role without being the loudest voice in it, and his soft-spoken style comes with accountability for how the team performs. For an Avalanche group that leans on him in so many ways, that mix of defensive work and responsibility may be the part fans appreciate most when they look past the flashy plays. [Read more 🡒]
Why Avalanche Fans Should See Cale Makar's Deal Differently
Lane Hutsons new eight-year, $70.8 million extension with Montreal has already started the usual round of cross-league comparisons, but those numbers do not translate neatly to Cale Makar and the Avalanche. NHL analyst Marco DAmico pointed out that the two contracts were built at very different points in the players careers, with Hutson getting an early long-term commitment before he could reach unrestricted free agency and Makar signing after years of proving himself as one of the sports defining defensemen.
For Colorado fans, the bigger takeaway is that Makars eight-year, $163.2 million deal was never just about setting a market number for young defensemen. It reflected sustained elite play and postseason success, the kind of resume that changes how a team structures its future. So while Hutsons extension will inevitably get attention, Avalanche supporters should view Makars deal through the lens of achievement and timing rather than as a simple point of comparison. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Fans Are Already Feeling Hockeys New Price Reality
The Maple Leafs have spent the summer reminding everyone that demand, not recent results, still drives the hockey business. Season-ticket prices for 2026-27 are already out, and the sticker shock comes at a time when Toronto has given fans plenty of reasons to hesitate. The bigger backdrop is just as hard to ignore: CBC has stepped out of national NHL coverage, Sportsnet now holds the exclusive rights, and the cost of following the league is climbing along with the bill for one of its most expensive teams to watch.
For Avalanche fans, the part that matters most is how this new ceiling keeps rising across the sport. Cale Makars eight-year, $163.2 million deal pushed him into territory no NHL player had reached before, clearing the way for a salary structure that could reshape negotiations everywhere else. In Colorado, where elite talent already sets the standard, that kind of benchmark is likely to echo through future cap planning and player asks, even if the exact ripple effects are still playing out. [Read more 🡒]