The contract landscape in the NHL is drastically changing right before our very eyes, and it's only going to continue moving forward.
Kirill Kaprizov's historic eight-year, $136 million extension with the Wild that will pay him $17 million in average annual salary shook the hockey world.
After he originally rejected Minnesota's eight-year, $128 million offer, nobody seriously thought they would come back to the table with even more, yet here we are.
That's the effect of a superstar and, more importantly, the rising salary cap, which now has everyone looking to what the next top guy is going to make when their time to cash in arises.
Come July 1, 2026, Cale Makar is one who will be eligible to sign an extension with the Colorado Avalanche, and Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton of Daily Faceoff believe his number could even surpass Kaprizov's. Here was what they had to say during the Ask DFO portion of Daily Faceoff Live on Wednesday.
"I think Makar is going to be Kaprizov-plus. I think Makar might be $17-18 million dollars," Yaremchuk said.
"Yeah, he's got to be right, the way that this market is going, the way that the money is spent... Makar has got to be licking his chops at home, knowing the way this market is rolling, knowing that he is the best defenseman on the planet and what he's going to get paid. There is a wow factor, but this is the way the cap is going," Hutton added.
The 26-year-old is entering the fifth season of the six-year, $54 million contract extension he signed with the Avalanche back in 2021
Makar is worth every penny
There's been plenty of debate about whether Kirill Kaprizov is worth the mega-extension he just inked with the Wild, but there shouldn't be any questioning whatever Cale Makar earns on his next deal.
The superstar defenseman is in a class of his own at the position and has not only the regular season numbers but also the postseason production and a Stanley Cup ring to back up his case.
Colorado goes as far as Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar take them, and after being unwilling to pay Mikko Rantanen top dollar last year, they won't make that same mistake this time around.
It feels bold to predict a potential $17+ million average annual deal for Makar, but one year from now that could even be slightly low for a top-five player in the world, regardless of position.