{"id":650760,"date":"2026-08-27T22:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T22:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/650760\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T22:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T22:19:14","slug":"avs-cale-makar-worth-every-cent-but-pressure-is-on-to-deliver-stanley-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/650760\/","title":{"rendered":"Avs’ Cale Makar worth every cent, but pressure is on to deliver Stanley Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

The contract extension<\/a>, increasingly inevitable, will not be about the term.<\/p>\n

It will be about making the Avs\u2019 Cale Makar\u2019s team.\n<\/p>\n

This will be disputed because of the presence of captain Gabe Landeskog<\/a> and former MVP Nathan MacKinnon<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

But a long-term agreement, which is inching closer according to Sportsnet\u2019s Elliotte Friedman, makes this part of Makar\u2019s legacy. And burden.\n<\/p>\n

He will be here long after Landeskog retires and MacKinnon fades from superstardom.<\/p>\n

When you sign a monster contract in your prime and are headed to the Hall of Fame, the pressure is on to deliver another championship.<\/p>\n

Two would be even better. But Makar is too great to only hold one Cup.<\/p>\n

After a flameout of historical proportions against the Las Vegas Knights<\/a>, the Avs reacted with more complacency than urgency. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Operating general manager Joe Sakic made tweaks to the roster, but the heaviest lift involved clearing salary cap space by trading Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury.\n<\/p>\n

The moves made it easier to accommodate Makar. And if you still don\u2019t understand why he is the biggest of deals, follow the money.<\/p>\n

Even if he does not finish with the NHL\u2019s highest average annual value for any player \u2014 not just a defenseman \u2014 the floor should be $17 million. Whether it runs for eight years \u2014 a possibility if signed before Sept. 15 \u2014 or a shorter period, the financial commitment will explain his significance.<\/p>\n

At 27, he is the present and the future. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Makar has never put the Avs in a difficult position, always playing nice, playing well and playing hurt. He has all the leverage and could be demanding, cackling to the armored truck as he boxes in the organization.<\/p>\n

He would never do that. The only thing Makar regularly features more than ability is humility.<\/p>\n

But a new deal means he can never just be one of the guys again. No blending into the curtains. If healthy, no forgettable postseasons.<\/p>\n

Like Makar, several Avs players were hurt against the Golden Knights, which provides a reason, not an excuse for their elimination.<\/p>\n

It does not make it any less embarrassing. The Knights suffocated and frustrated the Avs, turning the middle of the ice into a barnyard for pigs to slop.<\/p>\n

After Las Vegas completed its Legion of Broom, MacKinnon could not be bothered to meet the press despite multiple requests. He was injured, but it was not his larynx. He should have talked. It is part of the responsibility that comes with his stature.<\/p>\n

\"CaleCale Makar (8) of the Colorado Avalanche looks for space as Jack Eichel (9) and Pavel Dorofeyev (16) of the Vegas Golden Knights defend during the third period of the Golden Knights\u2019 5-3 win in Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Makar waited at his locker, taking questions. He expressed disappointment about the exit, about not doing more, even though he looked like he had one working shoulder in his limited participation.<\/p>\n

He was hardly why the Avs came up snake eyes. Brock Nelson, Nichushkin, Scott Wedgewood, MacKinnon and Brent Burns all deserved blame for the collapse. And, of course, so did the coach.<\/p>\n

But when Makar addressed the media, it signaled something important. He took responsibility for the mess and vouched for Jared Bednar when I asked him about the possibility of the boss getting fired.<\/p>\n

When Sakic held the season-ending press conference several days later, he admitted Bednar wasn\u2019t going anywhere because the players had his back.<\/p>\n

We know Makar wanted him back.<\/p>\n

Makar\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

Makar\u2019s power play.<\/p>\n

Makar\u2019s pressure.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get lost in the minutiae. The term will not be the issue with any Makar contract.<\/p>\n

We all assume that Makar is going to retire as a member of the Avalanche. The organization wants this, and Sakic declared it, saying, \u201cCale is going to finish his career here.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the likely outcome because of his talent, leadership and performance.<\/p>\n

Makar has earned every cent of his money. But when you reach his level, the conversation shifts to debates about greatness.<\/p>\n

It would be a shame if what is happening to the Nuggets\u2019 Nikola Jokic were to become Makar\u2019s fate. Jokic will not be considered among the top 10 all-time players without another titl<\/a>e. And he does not feel close as the Nuggets are trapped by unmovable contracts, age and injuries.<\/p>\n

Makar could be kind and give the Avs some breathing room on his extension. The only reason to do that is to help win a championship. Stan Kroenke doesn\u2019t need a charitable act to run the franchise, given his $26 billion portfolio valuation of his sports franchises.\n<\/p>\n

Unlike the Nuggets, the Avs are right there.<\/p>\n

Colorado is considered a favorite to win the Stanley Cup by several sportsbooks, and no worse than third behind the reigning champion Hurricanes and the former champion Panthers.<\/p>\n

We know the Avs will play well during the regular season. They always do. No team was better a year ago, and the President\u2019s Trophy got them a great seed and broken dreams.\n<\/p>\n

The referendum will not arrive until the postseason.<\/p>\n

\"DefensemanDefenseman Cale Makar (8) of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates his goal on goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) of the Minnesota Wild during the third period of Game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at Ball Arena in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Makar has performed his best when it matters most, leading the Avs to the 2022 Stanley Cup. He delivered 29 points in 20 games to net the Conn Smythe Trophy.\n<\/p>\n

That seems like a long time ago.<\/p>\n

Orr won two Stanley Cups.<\/p>\n

It is a reasonable ask of Makar.<\/p>\n

We know he can do it. The difference moving forward with an eventual new contract is that we will expect him to.<\/p>\n

Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The contract extension, increasingly inevitable, will not be about the term. It will be about making the Avs\u2019…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[463,464],"tags":[193,1034,1116,144,1875,573,1035,947,5,1117,4444,1180,517,555,4,60,2464,557,43,350,14,104,718,3978],"class_list":["post-650760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl-playoffs","category-stanley-cup-playoffs","tag-avalanche","tag-brock-nelson","tag-cale-makar","tag-colorado-avalanche","tag-contract","tag-denver-nuggets","tag-gabe-landeskog","tag-hall-of-fame","tag-hockey","tag-jared-bednar","tag-joe-sakic","tag-latest-headlines","tag-nathan-mackinnon","tag-nba","tag-nhl","tag-nhl-playoffs","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-nuggets","tag-sports","tag-sports-columnists","tag-stanley-cup","tag-stanley-cup-playoffs","tag-stanley-cup-playoffs-nhl","tag-troy-renck"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/117169800489529347","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}