Colorado Avalanche fans still waiting on Cale Makar contract news may not have to wait much longer for the big moment, even if the paperwork is already done behind the scenes.
That was the takeaway from a surprise edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, where Elliotte Friedman raised the possibility that the Avalanche could handle Makar’s extension the same way they handled Nathan MacKinnon’s. In 2022, Colorado announced MacKinnon’s eight-year extension during the team’s annual charity golf tournament on September 20, a reveal that landed right before the season and shut down the uncertainty around the star center’s future.
A similar rollout would make plenty of sense here. The Avalanche have not announced a date for this year’s tournament, but last year’s event was held on September 15.
That date also happens to be the final day the current Collective Bargaining Agreement will be in force, which adds another layer to the timing. All of that makes it reasonable to think the deal could be signed before the deadline, with the formal announcement saved for the golf event.
There’s also a clear organizational reason to mirror the MacKinnon approach. Makar is every bit as central to the Avalanche as MacKinnon, and treating his situation differently could send the wrong message about where he stands in the hierarchy. The team would have no interest in creating that kind of impression.
Using the charity tournament as the stage would keep Makar in the same lane as MacKinnon and give the franchise a clean, polished way to present one of its biggest stars. It’s the kind of move teams make when they want to make sure a franchise cornerstone gets the proper spotlight.
Friedman also touched on the money, saying he believes the Norris Trophy winner won’t move off a range between $16 million and $18 million. He added that Makar and Quinn Hughes may be locked in a bit of a game of chicken, with each waiting to see who signs first.
The term remains the other major question. A three- or four-year deal has been floated as the likeliest outcome, while an eight-year contract would be hard to picture unless both sides are determined to end the speculation completely.
For now, the one thing that seems certain is that Makar isn’t going anywhere. If the Avalanche want to make the extension official in a way that matches the MacKinnon precedent, their charity golf tournament would be a natural place to do it.
In Other News...
Cale Makar Contract Talk Just Shifted In A Fascinating Direction
Across the league, the defense market is already starting to reshape itself, and that matters for Colorado as much as anyone. Erik Karlssons future could become a trade storyline if Pittsburgh slips out of playoff contention, the Red Wings are trying to sort out their management situation while working through Simon Edvinssons deal, and Quinn Hughes talks are moving slowly enough to keep attention on Minnesotas side of the board.
For the Avalanche, though, the focus stays on Cale Makar and the belief that a new contract will get done before the season starts. Colorado has every reason to want that kind of certainty in place early, especially with the rest of the leagues top defensemen still tied up in one form of negotiation or another, and the timing of those other situations only adds to the sense that the market is shifting around them while they work toward their own finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Artturi Lehkonen Is Forcing A Bigger Avalanche Debate Than Expected
Artturi Lehkonen has quietly become one of the Avalanches most useful pieces since arriving during the 2021-22 season, the kind of complementary winger who makes the stars around him easier to deploy. He fits neatly next to Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar because his game leans on the hard areas: forechecking, net-front work and a willingness to do the little things that tilt shifts in Colorados favor both offensively and defensively.
What makes Lehkonen more interesting now is that his value may still be climbing beyond that already important role. The power play has not been a major part of his output, but there is enough of a track record elsewhere in his game to suggest more could be unlocked there, and that possibility is part of a broader Avalanche conversation about just how much impact he can still have on an already loaded roster. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Enter Camp With One Big Reason For Real Cup Belief
A healthy start has become one of the clearest reasons for optimism around Colorado heading into training camp, and Joe Sakic said the Avalanche expect to arrive in mid-September with the roster in good shape barring any late setbacks. After a season shaped by early absences, the sense around the organization is that the team is better positioned to show what it can really be when its core is available and the standards are where they need to be.
Sakic pointed to the talent on hand and the changes made around it as reasons to believe the Avalanche can again be a legitimate contender. The last season still offered proof of how competitive this group can be even when circumstances were far from ideal, and now the focus shifts to whether a cleaner bill of health can let that upside show from the start. [Read more 🡒]