Hockey players are getting absolutely paid this summer, and for the third time in just a few months, there’s a new highest-paid NHLer: Cale Makar.
The Colorado Avalanche announced that they have come to terms on a contract extension with the two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, and it's big.
How does eight years, $163.2 million sound?
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That works out to an AAV of $20.4 million per year, an NHL record by a significant margin.
Markar's deal — which kicks in after this season — topped the contract extension that Sharks star Macklin Celebrini signed this summer at five years, $94 million, and an AAV of $18.8 million starting in 2027-28.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar's new extension makes him the highest-paid player in NHL history when it kicks in for the 2027-28 season. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Celebrini’s contract topped the $18 million-per-season offer sheet the Philadelphia Flyers extended to Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson, which the Ducks matched.
With the league's salary cap continuing to go up, players' salaries will too.
But is it worth giving such a significant portion of a team's payroll to one player?
Well, in Makar's case, it probably is.
There are few players as valuable as a puck-moving, play-making defenseman who's still a solid defender on top of his offensive ability, and when you've got one of Makar's caliber, you do whatever it takes to keep him.
The numbers kind of speak for themselves: 507 points (136G, 371A) in 470 games.
Signing the two-time Norris Trophy winner long-term had to be a no-brainer for the Colorado front office. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
Makar also quarterbacks the Avs' top power-play unit, and while the team was actually only 20th in the league last season by PP%, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better player in that role.
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Of course, the pressure is now on even more than it already was. Makar helped the Avs win one Stanley Cup, but given the big salary, fans are going to expect the team to be a perennial contender and win another one.
Matthew Reigle is a writer for OutKick.
