The Colorado Avalanche are one of the favorites heading into this upcoming 2026-2027 season. They are coming off a strong presidents-trophy winning campaign, in which the team posted a 55-16-11 record with 121 points. However, the team failed to bring home the Stanley Cup in the postseason as they were swept in the western conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights. The biggest storyline to watch for Colorado revolves around their franchise defenseman Cale Makar, who heads into a contract year in need of a new deal in the near future.
Makar in Line for Major Payday
The Avalanche have been very fortunate that they have gotten such good value on Makar’s current contract. Makar heads into the last season of his $9 million deal. The fact Colorado has had that number on the books for Makar the past five years is an absolute steal for a player many consider to be the best defenseman in the league.
This reality will change soon as Makar is primed to cash in on a major payday on his next deal, considering his play over the course of this contract and the rate at which the NHL salary cap is rising. Makar amassed 20 goals and 59 assists for 79 points in 75 regular season games last season. In the playoffs, he recorded four goals and one assist in 11 games as he played through injury.
As for what this next contract looks like, insider Elliotte Friedman provided a nugget on NHL Tonight that gives us an idea of what to expect with this deal. Friedman stated on the show: “Does Makar really want eight years? I don’t know that he’s gonna want to do eight years.”
The Avalanche have until September 15th, the next CBA deadline, if they wish to possibly get the max eight-year term out of Makar. After this deadline, the new contractual limit will be seven years league-wide. The fact Friedman believes an eight year deal is unlikely for Makar is a strong indicator this deal might not get done by that date. Their could be a contract-comp that the Makar camp is waiting on before they put pen to paper.
Quinn Hughes Also Awaiting a New Deal
The player in question that Makar could be waiting on to set his number is Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild. Like Makar, the 2026-2027 campaign will be the last year of Hughes’ current deal. He is also eligible to extend this summer just like Makar.
The Hughes contract valuation is likely to come in at a similar range as Makar with the two defenseman having made their respective marks as the top d-men in the NHL. As for what the Hughes deal looks like, their is a very good chance his number ends up being higher than the $17 million contract that his teammate Kirill Kaprizov received last year via Minnesota insider Michael Russo. If Hughes is in a position to command over $17 million, Makar should be as well. The max $20.8 million cap limit might not be far out of reach by the time Makar inks a new deal with Colorado.
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