Cale Makar signs richest deal in NHL history with $163.2 million Avalanche contract extension

There’s a new biggest contract in NHL history — again.

Avalanche superstar Cale Makar agreed to an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension on Friday, the team announced.

The deal carries a $20.4 million average annual value and will make the two-time Norris Trophy winner the highest-paid player in league history and the first-ever to make more than $20 million annually.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar looks on during the third period of a game against the Minnesota Wild on May 13, 2026, at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Makar still has one season remaining on the six-year, $54 million deal he signed in 2021.

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His new extension will kick in for the 2027-28 season and keep him in Colorado through 2034-35.

“I am so excited and humbled to continue to wear the Avalanche sweater and represent this incredible organization and community,” Makar said in a statement.

Still only 27, Makar has already built the foundation of a Hall of Fame résumé.

The 2017 No. 4 overall pick has won two Norris Trophies, the Calder Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy while helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Cale Makar (8) of the Colorado Avalanche passes against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of Game 4 of the NHL Western Conference Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Denver Post via Getty Images

He finished second in Norris voting last season after recording 20 goals and 59 assists across 75 games.

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Makar has 507 points in 470 career regular-season games and is already the franchise leader among defensemen in goals, assists and points.

The NHL’s highest-paid-player benchmark has been reset repeatedly over the past year, and especially this summer.

Wild star Kirill Kaprizov set the mark with his eight-year, $136 million extension carrying a $17 million AAV in September 2025.

Last month, Ducks center Leo Carlsson pushed that mark to $18 million per year with a five-year, $90 million contract before Sharks phenom Macklin Celebrini surpassed him just weeks later with a five-year, $94 million deal carrying an $18.8…

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Publish date : 2026-08-28 23:29:00

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