Cale Makar will be sticking with the Colorado Avalanche for another decade.
The Avalanche and Makar officially agreed to terms on an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension on Friday.
The contract begins in the 2027-28 season and carries a $20.4 million average annual value, which surpasses Macklin Celebrini for the largest in NHL history. Makar's salary is $400,000 below the NHL's maximum amount, and the new deal makes him the first player in NHL history to earn at least $20 million per season.
"I couldn't be more excited to continue my journey here with the Avalanche in this amazing city of Denver and with all you guys, the fans," Makar said in a video shared by the Avalanche on social media. "Here's to another hopefully amazing nine years."
Makar, 27, has been one of the most accomplished defencemen in NHL history through his first seven seasons. He has 507 points in 470 career games, which is a 1.08 points-per-game average that ranks fourth all time among defencemen, just slightly below Paul Coffey's career average of 1.09.
The Calgary native is a two-time Norris Trophy winner and has been a finalist for the award in each of the last six seasons. In 2022, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as he helped the Avalanche lift the Stanley Cup.
Internationally, he won a silver medal with Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics and helped Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025.
“Today is an exciting day for the Avalanche organization and our wonderful fans,” Avalanche president of hockey operations and general manager Joe Sakic said in a statement. “Cale is a generational defenceman and his accomplishments speak for themselves. He is obviously a tremendous competitor and player but even more so a great person, teammate and ambassador for the Avalanche and the Rocky Mountain region. We are beyond thrilled to get this deal done and have Cale in an Avalanche sweater for the next decade."
The cap hit for Makar for last season was $9 million after signing a six-year, $54 million contract in 2021. The new deal for Makar now sets the bar for fellow standout defensemen Quinn Hughes of Minnesota and Zach Werenski of Columbus.
Securing the long-term services of Makar was a high priority this off-season for Sakic, who maintained that Makar was “going to finish his career” in Colorado. Makar was taken fourth overall by Colorado in 2017 out of the University of Massachusetts.
Makar was banged up heading into a Western Conference Final where the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. An upper-body injury sidelined him for Games 1 and 2, but he returned for the final two contests. Sakic recently said that Makar is slated to be ready for training camp.
The extension marks the third time this summer that the bar has been raised for player salaries. In early July, Ducks centre Leo Carlsson took the crown from Wild star Kirill Kaprizov when he signed a five-year, $90-million offer sheet from the Flyers with an $18-million AAV. The Ducks matched the deal.
San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini surpassed Carlsson's salary less than a month later when he signed a five-year, $94-million extension with an $18.8-million AAV. Celebrini, 20, was coming off a season in which he set the franchise single-season scoring record.
Makar's extension could be the last eight-year deal signed in the NHL. The maximum term for a contract will go down to seven years (for a player re-signing with the same team) when the new collective bargaining agreement begins on Sept. 15.
Makar's younger brother, Taylor, recently signed a two-year contract with the Avalanche that runs through the 2027-28 season. Taylor Makar made his NHL debut on Nov. 1 in San Jose, as the brothers became the first siblings to appear in the same contest while playing for the Avalanche. The Stastny brothers — Anton, Peter and Marian — accomplished the feat when the team was the Quebec Nordiques.
— with files from The Associated Press
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