In the NHL, the length of a contract can matter almost as much as the money on it. That’s especially true in a league built on fully guaranteed deals, a hard salary cap, and the ability to buy out players while still paying most of what they’re owed. For stars, years on a contract are more than just a number - they’re a way to lock in security and, in effect, purchase seasons before unrestricted free agency arrives.
That reality is about to shift again. Teams can currently give their own players a maximum term of eight years, but that window is closing fast. Starting September 16th, 2026, the max term drops to seven years, leaving NHL clubs just over a month to get eligible players signed to the full eight-year length before it disappears.
For teams, the appeal of max-term contracts is obvious. If you can keep a superstar in place for as long as possible, you give yourself a better shot at sustained success.
The Edmonton Oilers made that move with Leon Draisaitl as soon as they could. But the market has changed.
With the salary cap climbing, more players are betting on shorter deals and the chance to cash in again sooner, when the cap - and their next payday - may be much larger.
Three- to five-year contracts have started to feel like the sweet spot for a lot of players. The logic is simple: sign now, ride the cap growth, then come back to the table when the number jumps.
A three-year deal today could set up a much bigger contract down the road if the player stays healthy and productive. The flip side is brutal.
One injury or one down year can wipe out tens of millions.
Cale Makar sits right at the center of that conversation. He has just over a month to sign an eight-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche, and he’s entering the final season of a deal that pays him $9 million AAV. That number, by any reasonable standard, is going to be dwarfed by his next contract.
The real question is whether Makar should lock in the maximum term now, or gamble on a shorter path that could pay even more later. If he signs for eight years today, he could plausibly push the current max of $20.8 million AAV. If he waits a year, the ceiling rises again - but the longest deal available to him would shrink to seven years.
That’s the kind of decision that can split a camp. An eight-year contract now would carry Makar to age 36.
A shorter deal, the sort of approach Connor McDavid used in Edmonton, could open the door to another huge contract at age 29 and then one more massive payday after that. With the cap projections where they are, the next deal after a shorter bridge could land in the $22-23 million AAV range.
Elliotte Friedman recently put it this way on NHL Tonight: “The Avalanche said that we are gonna get this done; I think one of the big questions about him is going to be term.”
Makar isn’t the only star facing that choice. Quinn Hughes could also sign for eight years before the rule changes, though he’s widely expected to go short-term so his future lines up with his brothers. And that’s really the heart of it: every elite player in this position has to weigh money, security, timing, and personal preference all at once.
With the cap rising and the eight-year max about to disappear, the old answer doesn’t feel automatic anymore. For some stars, the safety of eight guaranteed years still matters. For others, the bigger upside might be in betting on themselves and waiting for the next, even richer deal.
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