Makar Signs NHL-Record $163.2M Extension, Resets Defenseman Market

Cale Makar signed an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, establishing an NHL record for annual average value at $20.4 million, according to Yahoo Sports. The deal keeps Makar in Colorado through the 2034-35 season and makes him the highest-paid player in NHL history.

Makar's previous contract, a six-year, $54 million deal signed in July 2021, carried a $9 million AAV. The new extension represents a 126.7% increase and removes the possibility of Makar reaching unrestricted free agency after the 2026-27 season. At 27 years old, Makar was entering the final season of his prior deal when the extension was signed.

The $20.4 million AAV surpasses the previous high-water marks set this offseason. Macklin Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million extension with the San Jose Sharks on July 29 carrying an $18.8 million AAV, breaking Leo Carlsson's prior $18 million benchmark. Earlier this summer, Bowen Byram signed an eight-year, $100 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks at $12.5 million AAV, then the defenseman record. Makar's figure exceeds Byram's by 63.2 percent.

Makar's record-setting compensation reflects an extraordinary professional resume. Since entering the NHL in 2019, he has won the Calder Trophy, two Norris Trophies, a Stanley Cup, and the Conn Smythe Trophy. He has been named to the NHL First All-Star Team four times and the Second All-Star Team twice, the most First-Team selections in Avalanche/Nordiques history. Only 13 defensemen in NHL history have been selected to at least four First All-Star Teams.

Makar ranks among the league's elite offensive contributors from the blue line. He has recorded 507 points in 470 regular-season games, one of only three defensemen in NHL history to average at least a point per game over their career, alongside Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. During the 2025-26 season, Makar scored 20 goals and finished with 79 points in 75 games, leading Colorado's defensemen across all three categories. His 79 points ranked third among NHL defensemen while his 20 goals ranked sixth. He finished second in Norris Trophy voting that season.

Makar became just the second player in NHL history to be a Norris Trophy finalist in six of his first seven full seasons, joining Orr. He reached 500 career points in his 467th game during 2025-26, joining only Orr, Paul Coffey, and Denis Potvin among defensemen in reaching that milestone faster. In the prior season, Makar scored 30 goals and finished with 92 points in 80 games, winning his second Norris Trophy and becoming the first defenseman since Mike Green in 2008-09 to score 30 goals in a season. He has posted two 90-point seasons, one of only six defensemen in NHL history to do so.

Makar's postseason production reinforces his elite standing. He has recorded 90 points in 90 Stanley Cup Playoff games with 26 goals, the most among active NHL defensemen and tied for 13th all-time at the position. During Colorado's 2022 Stanley Cup run, he recorded 29 points in 20 games and became the third-youngest defenseman in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. That season he also won the Norris Trophy, joining Orr and Nicklas Lidstrom as the only players to accomplish both in the same year. Makar, Orr, and Brian Leetch remain the only players in NHL history to win the Calder, Norris, and Conn Smythe during their careers.

Avalanche President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Joe Sakic called Makar a "generational defenseman" and stated the organization is "beyond thrilled to get this deal done and have Cale in an Avalanche sweater for the next decade." Makar, in his statement, said he is "so excited and humbled to continue to wear the Avalanche sweater and represent this incredible organization and community," describing Colorado as a "second home."

Makar's contract immediately serves as a reference point for the Minnesota Wild's ongoing negotiations with Quinn Hughes, per Yahoo Sports, establishing a new baseline for elite defensemen contracts.