Updated
Updated · ESPN · Aug 28
Cale Makar Signs 8-Year, $20.4 Million AAV Avalanche Extension as NHL Pay Sets New High
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Aug 28

Cale Makar Signs 8-Year, $20.4 Million AAV Avalanche Extension as NHL Pay Sets New High

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Aug 28

Summary

  • $20.4 million per year will make Cale Makar the highest-paid player in NHL history under an eight-year Colorado Avalanche extension, the first deal to top $20 million annually.
  • Makar, 27, landed the record as he entered the final year of a contract worth $9 million AAV, with the rising salary cap pushing elite NHL salaries sharply higher.
  • The new pact sits just below the league's cap-based maximum of $20.8 million and locks in an eight-year term before the next NHL CBA cuts maximum contract lengths to seven years.
  • Colorado is paying to keep a franchise cornerstone: Makar has been a Norris Trophy finalist in six straight seasons, has won the award twice, and anchors an Avalanche team that won last season's Presidents' Trophy.

Insights

What hidden salary cap maneuvers must Colorado execute to keep their Stanley Cup window open after committing $163 million to a single defenseman?
By beating the new CBA deadline, did Colorado secure a generational steal, or will this historic contract ultimately paralyze their franchise depth?