One of the biggest free agents potentially in 2027 is Cale Makar. Makar is one of the best defenseman in the NHL and is an offensive force.
Apparently, the Colorado Avalanche and Makar are closing in on an extension.
Makar nearing extension
Makar, 27, could demand the largest contract AAV in the NHL. The defenseman had two straight 90+ point seasons, and in the 2025-26 season, Makar scored 79 points with 20 goals and 59 assists.
Makar has been one of the most effective defenders while also being a huge part of Colorado's offense. It makes sense for Colorado to pay Makar a big contract. It isn't set in stone for now, but there's really no chance that Colorado will allow Makar to hit the market.
The Quinn Hughes situation might be even more interesting to monitor, though. The Minnesota Wild have already paid massive extensions, so they may be more careful not to hand Hughes a massive amount of money. But Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and others make up the Avs ' core. A core that won a Stanley Cup.
Colorado hopes to do it again, but it would be very hard to recover from the loss of Makar. This contract extension is probably needed. In terms of the price of it though, the extension might be reach $20M.
No other defenseman in the NHL, other than maybe Evan Bouchard, has been able to be such an offensive force. 90 points for a defenseman is insane. Meaning that other teams probably wouldn't have blinked when it came to offering Makar a ton of money.
This is needed and probably inevitable.
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