The Colorado Avalanche are already well into August 2026, and Cale Makar still doesn’t have an extension in place.
That’s a problem.
This isn’t just about the noise that comes with contract uncertainty. It’s about what that uncertainty does to everything else the Avalanche are trying to line up. If Colorado doesn’t know what it will cost to keep Makar, it becomes much harder to map out the rest of the roster.
Nic Roy and Arturri Lehkonen are impending UFAs, and the Avalanche need a clear picture of their cap situation before they can move on those negotiations. Sure, if Makar were off the books, Colorado would have plenty of room to work with.
But that’s not really the issue. The issue is that Makar’s number sets the tone for what comes next, and until that’s settled, the front office is operating without the kind of cost certainty it needs.
That matters now and later. If the extension gets pushed all the way until after the season, the Avalanche would be forced to make deadline decisions without knowing how much flexibility they’ll have going forward. Whether the year ends with a Stanley Cup or not doesn’t change that basic problem.
The organization isn’t just planning for today, either. It’s looking two, three, even five years ahead, because moves made now can echo much farther down the line. That’s part of the job in the NHL, and it’s exactly why this situation can’t be allowed to linger.
At the same time, Colorado does have one big thing working in its favor: Cale Makar doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Unlike someone like Quinn Hughes, there’s no real threat of Makar leaving for another destination. That gives the Avalanche an advantage, even if it doesn’t make the delay any easier to justify.
So the question is simple: when does this get done?
It could happen suddenly, with Makar signing a new deal and ending all the speculation. A short-term contract seems likely, and that would be enough to give everyone the clarity they want. And right now, the sight of a “UFA” tag next to Cale Makar’s name is not a pretty one.
For Colorado, the best move is to settle it and move on. The Avalanche need to get back to the business of chasing a second Cup in five years, and if there was ever a season to go all the way, this is it.
In Other News...
Avalanche May Have Found An Under The Radar Blue Line Option
Domenick Fensores arrival gives Colorado another low-risk blue line add to keep an eye on as the organization sorts through its depth chart. The 24-year-old left defenseman comes over after a productive season with the Chicago Wolves, where he set career highs in goals, assists and points while also getting a long playoff run in 18 games, and he already has a little NHL experience from a one-game stint with Carolina.
For the Avalanche, the immediate plan is straightforward: Fensore is expected to land with the Colorado Eagles in 2026-27 and continue developing in the system. What makes him interesting is the profile, a left-shot defender who has already shown he can produce at the AHL level and who now gets another chance to push for more after a steady climb through the minors. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Cale Makar Debate Fans Never Expected
The idea of the Avalanche even having a Cale Makar discussion sounds out of place until you remember how quickly the organization has surprised people before. Adrian Hernandez, an editing contributor for Mile High Hockey, raised the possibility in a recent piece, noting that Makars standing in contract talks gives him real leverage and makes the situation worth watching as the calendar keeps moving.
September 15 looms as the key date for unrestricted free agents who want eight-year deals before the maximum drops to seven years, which adds another layer of pressure to the conversation. Nobody is saying a Makar trade is likely, but the fact that it cant be completely dismissed says plenty about how unusual the Avalanches recent decision-making has already been. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Were Right To Move On From Casey Mittelstadt
Colorado had plenty of reason to keep looking when Casey Mittelstadt never quite settled into the top-six center role the Avalanche wanted from him. The move to send him to Boston reflected a clear organizational judgment: if he was not going to fill that spot, there was little sense in forcing the fit.
Mittelstadt has since settled in as a middle-six winger for the Bruins, where he posted 15 goals and 42 points in 71 games last season. The next question is whether Boston treats that as a sign of a larger breakout or a reason to commit long term, with talk already circulating about a four-year, $26 million extension that would test how much the Bruins believe in the player they inherited. [Read more 🡒]