Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche have agreed to an eight-year, $163.2 million extension, his agency announced Friday. The deal will be worth $20.4 million in average annual value. Makar becomes the first NHL player to sign a deal exceeding $20 million in annual salary, via hockey expert Frank Seravalli. years. Once the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement takes effect on September 15, the maximum contract duration cannot exceed seven years. The Avalanche confirmed the deal with a video from Makar, in which he said he “couldn’t be more excited” to stay in Colorado for the long-term future. Makar, 27, is entering his eighth NHL season, all with Colorado. Since entering the league during the 2019 playoffs, the UMass product has won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, been named to the NHL First All-Star Team four times, won two Norris Trophies as the NHL’s top defenseman and helped the Avalanche win the 2021-22 Stanley Cup title, where he was also named postseason MVP. He is one of two players: Hall of Famer Bobby Orr is the other. – be a Norris Trophy finalist at least six times in his first seven seasons. Only 14 players, including Makar, have won multiple Norris Trophies. The Calgary native has also found success on the international stage. He helped Canada win gold at the 2018 World Junior Championship, the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and was part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2026 Winter Olympics. During Makar’s seven seasons in the NHL, he reached 20 goals four times and reached the 90-point mark twice. He is already the franchise’s all-time leader among defensemen in goals (136), assists (371) and points (507).
