Avalanche confident Makar will have new contract before start of season

The Colorado Avalanche remain confident that defenseman Cale Makar will have a new contract in place before the start of the season, president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said.

Makar is in the final season of a six-year, $54 million contract (average annual value of $9 million) he signed July 24, 2021. The defenseman can become an unrestricted free agent after 2026-27.

“We continue talking,” Sakic said Sunday. “Pretty confident he’ll be signed before the season starts.

“I’m not worried about it. I don’t think Cale’s worried about it. Dialogue has been great and when there’s an agreement, we’ll gladly announce it. Hopefully something will be done before the start of training camp.”

The Avalanche open the season against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena in Denver on Sept. 30.

Makar can sign a contract as long as eight years until Sept. 15. After that, the new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association limits maximum contract lengths to seven years.

“Not really worried about it,” Sakic said. “When there’s a deal announced or signed and agreed to, both sides will be comfortable with whatever term it is.”

Makar was third among NHL defensemen with 79 points (20 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games last season, and second to Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets in voting for the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL.

A two-time Norris Trophy winner (2022, 2025), Makar joined Bobby Orr (seven) as the only players to be a Norris finalist at least six times in his first seven seasons. It also was the third straight season he’s scored at least 20 goals, making him the first player to accomplish that since Phil Housley (six straight) and Al MacInnis in 1992.

Selected by the Avalanche with the No. 4 pick in 2017 NHL Draft, the 27-year-old is the all-time leader among Colorado/Quebec Nordiques defensemen in goals (136), assists (371) and points (507) in 470 games in his seven NHL seasons.

He helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022 and was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after he had 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 20 games.

Sakic said the Avalanche expect to have a fully healthy roster when training camp opens next month including Makar, who sustained an upper-body injury against the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round that kept him out of the first two games of the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. He returned to play Games 3 and 4 of the Avalanche’s four-game loss but looked limited.

“As of right now I have no concerns,” Sakic said. “Everyone should come into camp healthy.”

Sakic did not have an update on a new contract for coach Jared Bednar, who is in the final season. Bednar is 445-262-75 in 10 seasons as coach. He’s guided Colorado to the playoffs nine times, including the Stanley Cup in 2022.

“Everything’s great,” Sakic said. “Not worried about that. There’s been coaches, there’s been players that have entered the last year of their deals before and there’s going to be in the future, so not really concerned about that. I don’t think Jared is either.”