A Ticking Clock for Colorado
The Colorado Avalanche are approaching a firm deadline. Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement set to take full effect on September 16, NHL teams will only be able to offer their own players seven-year extensions — down from the current maximum of eight years. That single-year difference makes the coming weeks one of the most consequential stretches in the Avalanche's recent history, because the player in question is Cale Makar.
The 27-year-old defenseman is entering the final season of the six-year, $54-million contract he signed with Colorado in 2021, carrying a $9-million annual average value. Without a new deal, Makar becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman has reported that the Avalanche expect an extension to get done, but that contract term remains one of the central unresolved points in negotiations.
What the Numbers Could Look Like
An eight-year extension signed before September 16 could, according to projections cited across multiple hockey outlets, make Makar the first NHL player to carry a $20-million annual average value. At that rate, the deal would total $160 million — more than double his current contract. A seven-year deal at the same AAV would reach $140 million, a gap that carries real consequences for Colorado's salary cap structure well into the 2030s.
The length of the deal matters beyond the raw dollar difference. An eight-year pact signed now takes Makar to age 35; a seven-year deal expires a year earlier and potentially returns him to the open market while he still has his best hockey ahead of him. From Colorado's perspective, locking in the maximum term keeps their planning horizon as wide as possible around a player they regard as irreplaceable.
What Makar Brings to the Avalanche
Makar posted 79 points in 75 games during the 2025–26 regular season and finished second in Norris Trophy voting. He averaged nearly 25 minutes of ice time per night, anchoring the power play and Colorado's most critical defensive-zone situations. Avalanche president Joe Sakic said in June that Makar would "finish his career" in Denver, a statement the organization has not walked back since.
The broader context for Colorado is one of recalibration. The 2025–26 post-season ended in early disappointment, and the front office is rebuilding around Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. Allowing uncertainty to drift past September 16 would not end the partnership — but it would cost Colorado one year of maximum contractual control over the sport's premier defenseman, and send a signal the franchise will want to avoid.
What Happens Next
Colorado opens its preseason on September 21. Training camps across the league are set to open on September 17 — the same date the eight-year window closes. If Friedman's reporting is accurate and talks are genuinely close, an announcement before that date is the most likely outcome. Neither Makar nor the club has made any public statement about the status of negotiations since Friedman's update.
The NHL-wide contract market this summer was defined by a wave of headline deals at elevated AAV figures, with several franchises absorbing long-term commitments that stretch fiscal planning into the next decade. Colorado has signaled it is prepared to meet that market for Makar — the remaining question is whether they can get the paperwork signed before the September 16 window closes for good.