Cale Makar Signs Up to Continue Avalanche Legacy

Note: This story has been updated with quotes from Avalanche President of Hockey Operations/General Manager Joe Sakic and Cale Makar's press conference on Monday, August 31, 2026.

Cale Makar is here to stay.  

The Stanley Cup champion, Conn Smythe Trophy winner and two-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner signed an eight-year extension with the Avalanche that will keep him under contract with the Avalanche through the 2034-35 season.  

During his press conference on Monday, Makar made it clear that he wanted to sign for the maximum eight-year term, which was only available until September 15, the day before the new NHL collective bargaining agreement (CBA) begins.

"I really wanted that eight years," Makar said. "I think just for myself and the team, I think it gives us a lot of clarity in the sense of the direction that we want to go...For me, it was definitely something that comes down to a deal that I felt works for both sides, and something that doesn't work just for the first couple years, but works for the whole term of the deal and can be utilized and also built around."

Not only did Makar want his extension to be for eight years, but so did the Avalanche. Sakic said the contract negotiation was an easy one.

"Cale deserves everything he's going to get," Sakic said. "And it's nice to have that certainty with his contract."

Sakic also added that he expects the Avalanche to be built to win for a long time.

Throughout the first eight campaigns (seven regular seasons) of Makar's career, he’s built a Hall of Fame resume and established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the Avalanche franchise.

Among defensemen, Makar holds the all-time franchise regular-season record for goals (136), assists (371), points (507), power-play goals (45) and power-play points (208). In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, his 26 goals, 64 assists, 90 points and six game-winning tallies all rank first among defensemen in Avalanche franchise history.  

Since entering the League, Makar leads blueliners in goals (136), points (507) and playoff tallies (26), while ranking second among Avs defensemen in shorthanded time on ice (832:36).

For the bulk of the last six seasons, Makar's defensive partner has been Devon Toews, and the pair has been incredibly successful on the Avalanche's blue line. On Monday, Makar said Toews has meant a lot to him.

"For top defensemen, it's important to have great partners," Makar said. "And [on] any given night, one of us could be off, and the other is stepping up. So, to be able to have a guy like that that you can rely on--not only him, we're fortunate to have a very deep back end too, so we can all play with one another. But to be able to have a guy like Toewser that I feel like we play so well together [and] complement each other well, it makes me job a lot easier, that's for sure."

From the moment he stepped into the NHL, Makar has made a massive impact, scoring just 16:02 into his career with a goal in Game Three of the First Round in 2019. Since then, he's won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 2019-20 and proceeded to be a finalist for the Norris Trophy in each of the last six seasons, winning the award in 2022 and 2025. In his second Norris Trophy campaign, Makar became the first defenseman to post 30 goals in a season since Mike Green in 2008-09. On the Avs’ 2022 Stanley Cup run, Makar posted 29 points (8g/21a) in 20 games while logging 27:04 a game en route to being voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.  

With his new extension, Makar will continue to build his legacy as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.