The Colorado Avalanche are moving closer to locking up Cale Makar.
Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman said on NHL Tonight that Colorado expects to get a deal done with its star defenseman, with term emerging as one of the biggest remaining questions.
Sports Illustrated relayed Friedman’s comments on Sunday.
“The Avalanche said that we are gonna get this done,” Friedman said. “I think one of the big questions about him is going to be term.”
Makar is entering the final season of the six-year, $54 million contract he signed in 2021. The deal carries a $9 million average annual value, and he can become an unrestricted free agent next summer if the sides don’t reach an extension.
That possibility has never appeared to concern the Avalanche.
President of hockey operations Joe Sakic said in June that Makar would “finish his career” in Colorado and added that the team had already been talking with his agent.
The latest update offers another indication that the biggest question may be how Colorado structures the agreement rather than whether it keeps Makar.
Makar Extension Has a September Deadline
GettyLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 26: Cale Makar #8 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of Game Four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 26, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Avalanche 2-1 to win the series in four games. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
There’s some urgency attached to the term of Makar’s next contract.
Under the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement, teams can sign their own players to eight-year extensions through Sept. 15.
Beginning Sept. 16, the maximum term on an extension will drop to seven years.
That leaves Colorado with a little more than a month to secure the longest possible deal with Makar.
The money could be historic, too.
Spector’s Hockey noted Monday that Makar could become the first NHL player to carry a $20 million average annual value. An eight-year contract at that figure would be worth $160 million.
It’s a sizeable increase, more than double the $9 million annual value on Makar’s current contract.
Makar has given Colorado scant reason to hesitate about making another massive commitment. The 27-year-old finished the 2025-26 regular season with 20 goals and 59 assists for 79 points in 75 games.
He finished second in Norris Trophy voting and was named a finalist for the award for the sixth consecutive season. The Avalanche noted in their season recap that Makar also averaged 24:51 of ice time and led the team with 118 blocked shots.
Colorado Has Made Its Position Clear on Makar
GettyNASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JUNE 29: Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche attends the 2023 NHL Draft at the Bridgestone Arena on June 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Sakic removed much of the mystery surrounding Colorado’s long-term plans when he addressed Makar’s future in June.
“Cale is going to finish his career here,” Sakic said. “We’re already talking to his agent, so we’re confident that something’s going to get worked out at some point.”
Makar’s status has remained one of the biggest stories around the Avalanche this summer because of what could happen if he ever reached the open market.
A defenseman of his caliber rarely gets anywhere near unrestricted free agency in his prime.
Colorado already has made its intentions public, and Friedman’s latest comments suggest negotiations remain headed in that direction.
The clock is ticking, though.
If Colorado wants eight years instead of seven, Sept. 15 is the date to watch.
The prevailing question is whether the Avalanche can settle the term — and the potentially record-setting price attached to it — before that deadline.
Avalanche’s $54 Million Star Gets Encouraging Contract Update Ahead of Deadline