The Colorado Avalanche have a few large items on their agenda to tend to now that Joe Sakic is back holding the reins as General Manager.
One of those items is re-signing All-Star and Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Cale Makar, who has been the backbone of the blue line since joining the organization in 2019.
Sakic spoke on Sunday before he took the ice for the Colorado Avalanche alumni vs. Denver University Hockey alumni game.
He’s “pretty confident” the Avalanche will be able to extend Makar’s contract before the 2026-27 season. Makar also cannot sign an 8-year extension after Sept. 16.
“Not worried about it, and I don’t think Cale’s worried about it,” Sakic said about that deadline.
“Dialogue has been great, and when there’s an agreement we’ll gladly announce it. Hopefully something will be done before the start of training camp.”
The two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman has 507 points in 470 regular-season games so far in his career with the Avalanche. That leads the NHL since his debut on April 15, 2019.
For comparison, Quinn Hughes (482), Roman Josi (431), and Adam Fox (422) are the only other D-men in the league who have scored at least 400 points since Makar joined Colorado.
Importance of Colorado re-signing Makar
Locking down the NHL’s most productive defenseman is one of the most pertinent things that Sakic is trying to deal with before next season begins.
Other large signings this offseason, like Leo Carlsson, Macklin Celebrini, Jason Robertson, Connor Bedard, and Trevor Zegras, will influence the market price for someone like Makar.
Sakic isn’t naive about the current trend, and neither is Makar’s camp. The right term and price will be found in conjunction with how deals are being done.
“Everyone is projecting where the cap is going. That’s why you’re seeing these contracts go to a certain level. Everyone wants to lock up their young stars, and that’s what’s happening,” Sakic said.
One other aspect to keep in mind about Makar’s new deal is that the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in the NHL begins on September 16.
The new rule that comes into place is the maximum number of years on a contract extension. The max goes down from 8 to 7 years for pending free agents eligible for a new contract.
So, should Makar value the 8 years the most, both the Avalanche and Makar’s camp will need to come up with the deal before the updated CBA kicks in.
Colorado will also have forward Artturi Lehkonen and head coach Jared Bednar to re-sign as well.
Sakic didn’t have an update on Lehkonen or Bednar, but trusts all is well right now ahead of training camp.
“Everything is great. Not worried about it. There have been coaches, there’s been players that have entered the last year of their deals before, and there’s going to be more in the future. Not really concerned about that, and I don’t think Jared is either,” Sakic said.
Colorado will have to open cap space to re-sign someone like Lehkonen. According to Puck Pedia, the Avalanche only have $404,159 in cap space right now.
Locking in Bednar may also take some time for the Avalanche after Chris MacFarland left for the Nashville Predators.
Should Colorado’s championship window shift in Denver this season, then more changes to the personnel may come.
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Status of Cale Makar’s Long Term Future with Colorado Avalanche