The Colorado Avalanche are closing in on a new deal with Cale Makar, one of the biggest extension stories of the offseason entering its final stretch. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the sides are nearing an agreement, and Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette added that the Avalanche and Makar agreed to terms yesterday evening.
That development feels like the natural next step for a player who has spent his entire NHL run looking like the standard at his position. Makar arrived in Colorado after winning the Hobey Baker Award and immediately made his mark in the 2018-29 Stanley Cup playoffs, putting up one goal and six points in 10 games with a +3 rating in his first NHL action.
He kept building from there. Before he ever won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, Makar had already logged postseason experience. In the 2019-20 season, he came within reach of point-per-game production from the blue line, finishing with 12 goals and 50 points in 57 games with a +12 rating while averaging 21:01 of ice time per game.
What followed was another level entirely. Since the 2020-21 season, Makar has been a Norris Trophy finalist every year and has won the award twice, first in 2021-22 and again in 2024-25. Over that span, he has piled up 124 goals and 457 points in 413 games with a +156 rating, while averaging 25:19 of ice time per game.
His playoff résumé is just as loud. Makar has stayed above a point-per-game pace in the postseason, recording 25 goals and 84 points in 80 games with a +25 rating and averaging 25:44 of ice time per game. He was a major part of Colorado’s third Stanley Cup title and also won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
The numbers already place him in rare company. Makar is 75th all time in scoring among defensemen, and he has not turned 28 yet.
At his current pace, if he reaches 1,200 games played, he would finish as the third-highest-scoring defenseman ever, behind only Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey. Even then, the source notes that catching those two would be difficult because of the number of games they played.
The price tag has been a major talking point around the league, and it could set a new bar. With the deals signed this summer, Makar could become the first NHL player to earn $20MM in yearly salary. Still, Avalanche general manager and president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said recently that he was confident Makar would sign an extension before the season starts.
There’s also a broader effect to watch. Like the Leo Carlsson offer sheet earlier this summer, Makar’s new contract is expected to send ripples through the league.
In the Central Division, the Minnesota Wild are working through their own extension talks with Quinn Hughes, and there had been a sense that Hughes and Makar might wait one another out to gain leverage in negotiations. With a comparison for Hughes likely coming soon, it remains to be seen how much longer those talks will go on.
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Avalanche Just Made A Franchise-Defining Cale Makar Commitment
The Avalanche have locked in the centerpiece of their roster for the long haul, agreeing to an eight-year extension with Cale Makar that begins in the 2027-28 season. It is the kind of move that signals exactly where the franchise sees itself going, with one of the NHLs premier defensemen now tied to Colorado well into his prime after becoming a defining force for the team since 2019.
The deal carries an average annual value of $20.4 million, making Makar the highest-paid player in NHL history and putting his cap hit right near the upper limit allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. For Colorado, the broader significance is obvious: this is not just about rewarding a star, but about ensuring the Avalanche continue to build around a player whose awards, production and impact have already shaped the teams identity. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche May Have A Late-Blooming Prospect Closer Than Fans Think
TJ Hughes has become one of the more interesting names in the Avalanche pipeline, not because he fits the usual blue-chip prospect mold, but because his path has taken a little longer to come together. The 24-year-old center/left wing was ranked No. 6 on Colorados Top 25 Under 25 list for 2026 after wrapping up his college career at Michigan, where he finished as a Hobey Baker finalist and Big Ten Player of the Year. He also signed an entry-level contract with the Avalanche that begins in the fall of 2026, giving the organization a clear next step with a player who has already built a strong rsum.
Hughes may also be closer to NHL relevance than some fans realize because of what he did with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL playoffs. He produced points, logged top-line minutes and looked like a player comfortable handling important shifts in a meaningful setting, which only adds to the case that his arrival could come sooner than a typical late-blooming prospect. For a team that is always looking to find value wherever it can, Hughes has put himself in the conversation as someone worth watching closely over the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Predators Roster Squeeze Could Matter More To Stars Fans Than Expected
The Predators have spent the offseason adding forward depth and bringing in one defenseman as they get ready for the NHL preseason, and all of those moves have turned camp into an early test for the players already on the bubble. For an organization trying to sort out its next version of the lineup, the competition is centered on names like Reid Schaefer, Ozzy Wiesblatt and Joakim Kemell up front, along with Ryan Ufko on the back end, each of them trying to prove there is room for him when the games start to count.
For Avalanche fans, the larger point is that this kind of roster squeeze in Nashville can ripple beyond a single camp. The preseason will decide who sticks, who gets more development time and who heads elsewhere for now, and those decisions can shape how the Predators deploy their depth at the start of the year. With several players fighting for limited spots, the next few weeks should tell a lot about how ready this group really is. [Read more 🡒]