On Friday, the Colorado Avalanche announced that the team has signed defenseman Cale Makar to an eight-year contract extension.
The new deal will carry an AAV of $20.4 million through the 2034-35 campaign, making him the highest-paid player in NHL history.
The #GoAvsGo Cale Makar 8 year $20.4M Cap Hit Extension
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) August 28, 2026
Yr 1-3 $4M Base & 16.8M Signing Bonus
Yr 4 $12.8M & $8M SB
Yr 5 $4M & $16.8M SB
Yr 6 $3M & $16.8M SB
Yr 7 $2.8M & $16.8M SB
Yr 8 $1M & $18.8M SB
No Move Clause
Rep'd by @BartlettHockey
The $20.4M Cap Hit is just short…
His record-breaking $20.4 million cap hit easily surpasses recent mega-deals, eclipsing the $18.8 million AAV that Macklin Celebrini briefly set earlier in the offseason. It lands just shy of the NHL’s $20.8 million maximum allowable salary under the current collective bargaining agreement. Makar is currently heading into the final season of a six-year, $54 million deal that carries a $9 million AAV. His massive new extension will kick in for the 2027-28 season and keep the Calgary, Alberta native locked up through the 2034-35 campaign.
In his seven full seasons in the league, the 27-year-old has averaged a point per game, reaching 90 points twice, including posting a career-high 30 goals and 92 points during the 2024-25 season.
Makar has a growing trophy case. After winning the Calder Trophy in 2019-20, he has won the Norris Trophy twice (2021-22, 2024-25), helping the Avalanche win the franchise’s third Stanley Cup in 2022.
In 470 regular-season games, Makar has posted 136 goals and 371 assists for 507 points. He already ranks 10th all-time in franchise scoring and ninth in assists.