On Friday, it was announced by the Colorado Avalanche that they managed to re-sign defenseman Cale Makar to the richest deal in NHL history, an eight-year, $163.2 million extension that makes him the highest-paid player in League history on a per-year basis.
And interestingly enough, by the contract wraps up following the 2034-35 NHL season, Makar will have been paid nearly as much as what Pittsburgh Penguins icons Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have both earned in their entire careers, both of which have been over twice as long as Makar’s career thus far.
Cale Makar’s Contract Extension Nearly Equals The Career Earnings Of A Pair Of Pittsburgh Penguins Icons
Makar’s eight year, $163.2 million extension means that he will become the first player in NHL history to surpass $20 million in yearly earnings when the extension officially kicks in prior to the start of the 2027-28 season.
And by the time the contract expires, it will have paid him nearly as much as what Sidney Crosby has made so far from NHL contracts alone dating back to his rookie campaign of 2005-06, and more than what Evgeni Malkin has made in NHL contracts dating back to his own rookie season of 2006-07.
So far in his career, which has resulted in him being guaranteed as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Crosby has earned $165.67 million. Meanwhile, Malkin, who will also be in the Hall of Fame at some point, has earned $151.7 million.
Crosby has been notorious for his superstitious yearly salary of $8.7 million, a clear nod to his jersey number. And it’s a tremendous bargain, considering that he could easily be making at least another $4 to $5 million on his current contract with another team. But Crosby has also been known for his legendary loyalty to the Penguins and has shown no interest in playing elsewhere in the NHL despite having been linked to a pair of other teams in trade rumors, including the Avalanche.
Crosby, who has one year left on his current contract, stated earlier in the offseason that his plan is to continue playing beyond the current upcoming season and he’ll likely be signing new contracts on a year-to-year basis.
“Yeah, I’m saying year to year based on contracts,” he explained via The Athletic. “It just seems to make sense. I mean, it could change. We’ll see. Kyle (Dubas) and I haven’t even talked about it. But I’ll talk with Pat (Brisson) and Kyle later this summer. We’ll talk about it and do what makes sense. If it does make sense to sign for a couple of years, then we’ll do that.”
“I definitely want to keep playing for as many years as possible,” he said.
Meanwhile, despite rumors of impending retirement, Malkin decided to come back to the Penguins for at least one more season, signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal.
Cale Makar Will Be The Highest Paid Player In NHL History
If Crosby and Malkin were entering their primes in today’s NHL, they could have landed contracts comparable to the one Cale Makar is earning now.
The NHL’s salary-cap landscape, though, looked much different even just 10 years ago, making it far more difficult for stars of that era to command the massive deals being handed out today.
Cale Makar’s Extension Nearly Equals Penguins’ Star Sidney Crosby’s Career Earnings