The longer Cale Makar’s extension drags on, the more the Colorado Avalanche are left staring at a situation that could easily spill into the season.
There’s still a window to get something done before opening night, but that door is narrowing. If no deal is reached by then, another route starts to make sense: waiting until the end of the season to extend him.
That kind of timeline would not be unusual. Some players simply don’t want contract business hanging over them once the games start.
They’d rather keep the focus on hockey and deal with the money side later. If Makar feels that way, and if the Avalanche do too, the silence could stretch all the way through the year.
The problem is that silence never stays silent for long. Even without real movement, the speculation would keep building around the superstar defenseman. The rumor mill would keep turning, whether there was actual news to feed it or not.
There’s also the question of what in-season negotiations would even accomplish. If the sides can’t find common ground now, there’s no guarantee that talking during the year suddenly changes the picture. In some cases, those talks can become their own burden, with the back-and-forth creating stress instead of clarity.
That’s part of why a wait-and-see approach could be the safer play. Let the season unfold.
Let the final result speak for itself. And then revisit the contract when everything is settled.
Of course, what happens on the ice could matter just as much as anything that happens at the negotiating table.
If the Avalanche finish next season with another Stanley Cup, that changes the conversation in a big way. It would give Makar a clear sign that Colorado is still a place where he can win for the foreseeable future.
If they come up short, though, the questions get louder. Does that failure make the future feel less certain? Does it open the door to thoughts of somewhere else?
Those are uncomfortable questions, but they’re part of the reality here. There’s pressure on everyone involved to prove that 2022 wasn’t a one-off. Until the Avalanche win another Cup, doubts are going to linger.
That’s why the cleanest outcome is still the simplest one: get the deal done before the season starts, remove the noise, and let Makar and the Avalanche focus on chasing another championship.
In Other News...
Avalanche Add A Scorer Who Could Earn A Bigger Role Fast
The Colorado Eagles have added another forward with some real upside, signing Francesco Arcuri to an AHL two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. Arcuri arrives as a former Dallas Stars sixth-round draft pick who spent last season producing for the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL, and he has already gotten a small taste of the next level with five games for the Texas Stars.
For the Avalanche organization, the interest is in whether that scoring touch can carry up with more consistency. The Eagles are clearly hoping Arcuri can turn a strong lower-level season into a steadier AHL presence, which would make him more than just a depth addition if he handles the jump the way they believe he can. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Fans Have A New Blue Line Name To Watch Closely
A new name has started to surface on Colorados blue-line radar in Alex Gagne, the 23-year-old left defenseman who landed at No. 20 on the Avalanches Top 25 Under 25 list for 2026. Gagne spent the 2025-26 season with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL, where his role was built around steady minutes and penalty-kill work, the sort of assignment that often tells a coach more about a defenseman than point totals ever will.
His profile is also the kind that tends to travel well in an organization hungry for dependable depth, especially when a players college background has already earned him a reputation for leadership. For Avalanche fans, the interest now is less about where Gagne has been and more about how close he might be to forcing his way into the conversation for NHL help when the season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face A Familiar Pressure That Could Define This Season
After winning the Presidents Trophy and getting back to the Western Conference Final last spring, the Avalanche enter this season with a familiar kind of burden: expectations. Colorado has spent the past few years living at the sharp end of the NHLs contention race, and that kind of success naturally invites a harder question than most teams face, which is not whether they can make the playoffs, but whether they can keep that level from slipping.
The warning sign is right there in recent league history, where a Presidents Trophy season has sometimes been followed by a sudden drop-off, even to the point of missing the playoffs entirely. Colorado knows the other side of that equation too, with recent postseason exits still fresh enough to remind everyone how thin the margin is at this level. The target remains the same as ever, though, and for the Avalanche it is not simply another strong regular season but a run that puts them back in the Stanley Cup conversation. [Read more 🡒]