21,127 Members
•
88,816 Posts
Follow
Ryan O’Hara
Partner
RyanOHara@THNN
Copied to clipboard
Seven-time award-winning sportswriter based in Denver.
Posts
40
Followers
3
Following
All Channels
The Hockey News
NHLAVS
NHLSJS
THNINTL
NHLVGK
NHLCF
NHLFP
NHLUTAH
NHLWILD
NHLJETS
NHLSLB
NHLPP
NHLAD
NHLSTAR
THNNCAA
THNECHL
NHLTBL
NHLMC
NHLLAK
NHLBUFF
NHLKRAK
NHLPF
Published
Comments
All
Story
Community Post
Avalanche Rival Takes a Hit After Another Rough Night
Oct 13, 2026
The Hockey News
MacKinnon Drops the Gloves, Avalanche Drop Eight on Kings in Opening-Night Rout
Oct 1, 2026
The Hockey News
Martin Necas Is Adding A New Weapon To His Game
Sep 18, 2026
The Hockey News
Fiala Sidelined to Start Camp After Undergoing Another Leg Procedure
Sep 10, 2026
The Hockey News
EA Sports NHL 27 Predicts Utah Mammoth Will Win The Stanley Cup In 2026-27
2
7
Sep 4, 2026
The Hockey News
BREAKING NEWS: Avalanche Sign Cale Makar To Record $163.2 Million Contract
Cale Makar is now the highest-paid player in NHL history. The Colorado Avalanche signed their star defenseman to an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension Friday, giving Makar a league-record $20.4 million annual average value and keeping him in Colorado through the 2034-35 season. The deal more than doubles his previous $9 million AAV and makes him the first player in NHL history to surpass $20 million per season. It is a remarkable jump for a league that has seen its salary records climb quickly this summer. On July 29, Macklin Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million extension with the San Jose Sharks. The deal carried an $18.8 million AAV, making the 20-year-old the highest-paid player in NHL history at the time. Celebrini had surpassed Leo Carlsson's $18 million AAV, which had been the previous record. Celebrini's record lasted less than a month. Makar's $20.4 million AAV is $1.6 million higher, making him the first player in NHL history to clear $20 million per season. The contract also represents a massive jump for the defenseman market. Earlier this summer, Bowen Byram signed an eight-year, $100 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, establishing a new record for a defenseman with a $12.5 million AAV. Makar's annual salary is 63.2% higher, pushing the position into an entirely different financial range. The 27-year-old was entering the final season of the six-year, $54 million contract he signed with Colorado in July 2021. That deal carried a $9 million AAV, meaning Makar's new salary represents a 126.7% increase. The size of the contract is significant, but Makar's résumé gives the Avalanche plenty of reason to make the investment. Since entering the NHL in 2019, Makar has won the Calder Trophy, two Norris Trophies, a Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy. He has been named to the NHL First All-Star Team four times and the Second All-Star Team twice, with his four First-Team selections the most in Avalanche/Nordiques history. Only 13 defensemen in NHL history have been selected to at least four First All-Star Teams. Makar has also produced at a rate rarely seen from a defenseman. He has recorded 507 points in 470 regular-season games, making him one of only three defensemen in NHL history to average at least a point per game over his career. Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey are the other two. His playoff production has been just as impressive. Makar has 90 points in 90 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including 26 goals. Those 26 postseason goals are the most among active NHL defensemen and tied for 13th all time at the position. During Colorado's 2022 Stanley Cup run, Makar recorded 29 points in 20 games and became the third-youngest defenseman in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. He won the Norris Trophy that same season, joining Bobby Orr and Nicklas Lidstrom as the only players to win both awards in the same year. Makar, Orr and Brian Leetch remain the only players in NHL history to win the Calder, Norris and Conn Smythe during their careers. Makar has continued to add to that résumé. During the 2025-26 season, he recorded 20 goals and 79 points in 75 games, leading Colorado's defensemen in goals, assists and points. His 79 points ranked third among NHL defensemen, while his 20 goals ranked sixth. He finished second in Norris Trophy voting and became just the second player in NHL history to be a finalist for the award in six of his first seven full seasons, joining Orr. Makar also reached 500 career points during the season, doing so in his 467th game. Only Orr, Paul Coffey and Denis Potvin reached the milestone faster among defensemen. The season before, Makar scored 30 goals and finished with 92 points in 80 games. He won his second Norris Trophy and became the first defenseman since Mike Green in 2008-09 to score 30 goals in a season. He has now scored at least 20 goals four times and has posted two 90-point seasons, something only six defensemen in NHL history have accomplished. For Colorado, the decision to make this kind of commitment was about more than Makar's production. The Avalanche knew they were approaching a significant point with their franchise defenseman, who had one year remaining on his contract and was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2026-27 season. Rather than allow that situation to linger, Colorado got its cornerstone player under contract for the next eight years. "We are beyond thrilled to get this deal done and have Cale in an Avalanche sweater for the next decade," Avalanche President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Joe Sakic said. Sakic called Makar a "generational defenseman" and pointed to both his accomplishments and his importance to the Avalanche organization and the Colorado community. Makar expressed a similar desire to remain in Colorado. "I am so excited and humbled to continue to wear the Avalanche sweater and represent this incredible organization and community," Makar said. He also described Colorado as a "second home." The extension gives Colorado long-term certainty around one of the most important players in the franchise's history. It also removes the possibility of Makar reaching unrestricted free agency after the 2026-27 season, when he would have been one of the most coveted players on the market. The Avalanche also avoid another situation like the one that unfolded with Mikko Rantanen, when a franchise cornerstone eventually left Colorado after contract negotiations failed to produce a long-term agreement. This time, Colorado got its deal done well before Makar reached the open market. The result is a contract that resets the NHL's salary structure at the very top. Celebrini pushed the AAV record to $18.8 million on July 29. Makar has now taken it to $20.4 million, while also becoming the first defenseman to hold the league's record for highest average annual value. For Colorado, it means keeping its franchise defenseman through 2034-35. For Makar, it is the largest financial commitment ever made to an NHL player. And for the league, it is a new benchmark that did not exist when the summer began.
Aug 28, 2026
The Hockey News
Utah Mammoth Fans Can Now Put Their Team Pride on the Road
Aug 21, 2026
The Hockey News
Opinion: Hockey Canada Needs To Draw The Line With Carter Hart
Aug 18, 2026
The Hockey News
Flames Reportedly Turn To Former NHL Enforcer To Replace Kelly Hrudey
Aug 10, 2026
The Hockey News
Former Golden Knights Forward’s 11-Year NHL Journey Is Taking Him Back Home
Tomáš Nosek is going home. After 11 seasons and stops with five different NHL teams, the former Vegas Golden Knights forward appears ready to close out his professional career where his hockey journey began. Nosek has signed with HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga in recent weeks, returning to his hometown club after more than a decade in North America. More Videos For Golden Knights fans, Nosek will always have a special place in the franchise's early history. He joined Vegas for its inaugural 2017-18 season and spent four seasons with the Golden Knights, appearing in 240 games and recording 31 goals, 34 assists and 65 points. Nosek as a member of the Golden Knights during a 2021 game against the Montreal Canadiens. Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images Nosek was never expected to be a star in Vegas, but he became a reliable part of the team's bottom six and played 240 games for a franchise that was still establishing its identity. He brought size, versatility and a willingness to do the less glamorous work that comes with playing a depth role in the NHL. After his time with the Golden Knights, Nosek continued his career with several other NHL clubs before eventually landing with the Florida Panthers. His final two NHL seasons couldn't have ended much better. Nosek helped Florida win the Stanley Cup during the 2024-25 season, appearing in 16 playoff games and recording three assists while throwing 44 hits during the Panthers' championship run. He returned for one more NHL season in 2025-26, appearing in 21 games and finishing with two goals and two assists for four points. Now, at 33 years old, Nosek is heading home. A native of Pardubice, Nosek joined HC Dynamo Pardubice's system in 2007, beginning with the club's U18 team. Nearly two decades later, he's returning to the organization as a Stanley Cup champion and a veteran of 11 NHL seasons. It's a fitting ending for a player who never forgot where he came from. When Nosek got his day with the Stanley Cup following Florida's championship, he made sure to bring it back to Pardubice. He visited his childhood rink and former high school before eventually sharing the trophy with thousands of people in the city's historic Pernštýnské Square. Now, after playing for five NHL teams, winning a Stanley Cup and building a career that lasted 11 seasons in the world's best hockey league, Nosek appears ready for one final chapter in his hometown. And if this is indeed the end of the road, he couldn't have picked a better place to finish it.
Aug 9, 2026
The Hockey News
The Kings Are Immortalizing Anze Kopitar
Aug 7, 2026
The Hockey News
Former Avalanche Defenseman Announces Retirement After Nearly Two Decades In Hockey
Aug 4, 2026
The Hockey News
Avalanche Prospect T.J. Hughes Takes First Step Toward NHL Dream At Rookie Showcase
Jul 29, 2026
The Hockey News
Why Dylan Larkin Is The Bigger Swing The Kings Should Be Considering
The Kings keep getting linked to Vincent Trocheck, and on the surface it makes sense. He’s familiar with Peter Laviolette, he’s played with Artemi Panarin, and he’s been a reliable two-way center who can kill penalties, win draws, and bring leadership to a playoff group. But familiarity isn’t the same as impact. Trocheck is still a solid player, even in a season shortened by injury. He finished with 16 goals and 37 assists in 67 games, which still projects as steady middle-six production over a full year. The issue is more about timing and ceiling than ability. At 33 with term left on his deal, it's a tough sell. If the Kings are serious about changing their playoff trajectory after five straight first-round exits, the conversation probably has to go bigger. That’s where Dylan Larkin comes in. Larkin is younger, faster, and more dynamic offensively, with five straight 30-goal seasons and the ability to drive a top line rather than just support one. Even in another season that ended without a playoff berth for Detroit, he kept producing down the stretch and continued to show he can take over games on his own. Trocheck helps you stay steady. Larkin gives you another gear. Los Angeles: the choice is yours.
Jun 22, 2026
The Hockey News
Is Nichushkin Now In Play After The Tkachuk Blockbuster?
When the market shifts, so do the conversations around it. For the Colorado Avalanche, the ripple effects of the Brady Tkachuk deal to the Florida Panthers on Sunday are impossible to ignore. Ottawa landed a haul headlined by the No. 9 and No. 25 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, along with a conditional first-round selection in 2029 and a second-round pick in 2027. The No. 25 pick, notably, was flipped earlier in the day by Florida in a separate move involving Seattle and forward Mackie Samoskevich. And when a package like that moves for a player of Tkachuk’s caliber, it naturally resets the conversation around what elite, high-impact forwards are worth across the league. For the Avalanche, that inevitably circles back to Valeri Nichushkin. In recent days, The Hockey News has explored the idea of whether Colorado should even consider moving him—ultimately leaning toward the idea that the organization would be better served evaluating him for at least another half-season before making any long-term decision. But trades like this reopen the door to more aggressive thinking. What would it look like if Colorado explored a package built around Nichushkin—and potentially cash considerations—for the No. 9 pick Even if that’s ambitious, a pivot toward something closer to No. 25 might be more realistic depending on how the market evolves. Either way, the Avalanche are in a position where adding draft capital has value after years of dealing picks away in win-now moves.
Jun 22, 2026
The Hockey News
Will Alex Tuch Enter Free Agency?
July 1 is coming up fast and the Buffalo Sabres have yet to lure in Alex Tuch with a new deal. Is Tuch done in Buffalo?
Jun 13, 2026
The Hockey News
Avalanche Have A Bigger Problem Than Just Missing Cale Makar Vs. Golden Knights
1
7
May 21, 2026
The Hockey News
The Avalanche And Wild's Slugfest Deserves To Be The NHL's Western Final
1
6
May 4, 2026
The Hockey News
Opinion: The Oilers’ Collapse Raises Real Questions About McDavid’s Future and Kris Knoblauch’s Job
41
May 1, 2026
The Hockey News
Minnesota Sends Stars Home, Advances To Face Avalanche
5
Apr 30, 2026
The Hockey News
Load more
