One date has emerged as the hinge point in the Cale Makar extension situation, and it may explain why nothing has been done yet.
September 16, 2026 is the day the new Collective Bargaining Agreement takes effect, and that matters because it changes the contract landscape around the NHL. The biggest shift tied to Makar’s next deal is the reduction in maximum term from eight years to seven.
That leaves the Avalanche and Makar in a tricky spot. Colorado would love to get him locked into an eight-year extension before those changes arrive. Makar’s side, though, may be waiting it out for a different reason: he may not want to commit to the full term.
A recent RG Media piece pointed to Makar and Quinn Hughes as players in the same position, with both potentially aiming to preserve one more shot at a huge payday later in their careers.
“Both signed six-year deals at a time where everyone was signing for eight. They’re the two best defencemen in the game. They can sign short or medium term at upwards of $18M now, and get a final kick at the can at age 30 or 31 for more than what the max salary is today.”
If that read is accurate, the sticking point isn’t the money itself. It’s the length of the deal.
For the Avalanche, waiting may be the only realistic path. Once September 16 passes, the club can no longer offer an eight-year contract.
The ceiling drops to seven, and that changes the math. A five-year deal suddenly becomes more appealing.
Even six years would look like a strong outcome for Colorado.
If Makar landed at 5 x $18 million, that would put the total value at $90 million for the NHL’s best defenseman.
There’s also the possibility of a hometown discount. Makar could be willing to help keep the Avalanche competitive, and Colorado could respond by structuring the deal with signing bonuses. Under the new CBA, bonus money is limited to 60% of a contract’s total value.
That setup could lower Makar’s tax bill and potentially keep his average annual value below $18 million. If that happened, the contract term could shrink even further, with a two- or three-year deal entering the conversation.
That’s still speculation, but it’s worth watching. Unless Colorado was prepared to overwhelm Makar with an offer before then, the real movement on this extension may come after September 16.
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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 🡒]