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RyanOHara@THNN
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Seven-time award-winning sportswriter based in Denver.
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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.
5d
The Hockey News
Utah Mammoth Fans Can Now Put Their Team Pride on the Road
Aug 21
The Hockey News
Opinion: Hockey Canada Needs To Draw The Line With Carter Hart
5
Aug 18
The Hockey News
Flames Reportedly Turn To Former NHL Enforcer To Replace Kelly Hrudey
Aug 10
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.
3w
The Hockey News
The Kings Are Immortalizing Anze Kopitar
Aug 7
The Hockey News
Former Avalanche Defenseman Announces Retirement After Nearly Two Decades In Hockey
Aug 4
The Hockey News
Avalanche Prospect T.J. Hughes Takes First Step Toward NHL Dream At Rookie Showcase
Jul 29
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.
2mo
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.
2mo
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?
2mo
The Hockey News
Avalanche Have A Bigger Problem Than Just Missing Cale Makar Vs. Golden Knights
1
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May 21
The Hockey News
The Avalanche And Wild's Slugfest Deserves To Be The NHL's Western Final
1
6
May 4
The Hockey News
Opinion: The Oilers’ Collapse Raises Real Questions About McDavid’s Future and Kris Knoblauch’s Job
41
May 1
The Hockey News
Minnesota Sends Stars Home, Advances To Face Avalanche
5
Apr 30
The Hockey News
Lightning Roar Back Behind Crozier’s Jolt, Hagel’s Finish To Tie Series
The Tampa Bay Lightning stared down a two-goal deficit in one of hockey’s loudest buildings, then ripped control of Game 4 away from Montreal with a bruising shift in momentum and a relentless third-period surge. Crozier Ignites The Turnaround Inserted into the lineup Sunday morning after sitting the first three games, defenseman Max Crozier delivered the defining moment of the night late in the second period. Crozier had appeared in only one game over the previous 12 weeks after recovering from lower-body surgery, leaving him with little recent game contact entering a hostile postseason environment. Wanting to be ready for the collision-heavy intensity of playoff hockey, he asked assistant coach Dan Hinote after Saturday’s practice for extra work. Hinote obliged, having forward Conor Geekie take repeated runs at him inside an empty Bell Centre. The preparation paid off. With Tampa Bay trailing 2-0 in the closing minutes of the second period, Crozier stepped into Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky at center ice and detonated a clean, thunderous open-ice hit directly over the Bell Centre logo. Slafkovsky, who had tormented Tampa Bay with seven goals against them this season, was left shaken, and the Lightning bench instantly came alive. What had been a tense, uphill night for Tampa Bay suddenly tilted. Crozier’s edge has long been part of his profile, but opportunities had been scarce since the Stadium Series on Feb. 1. Aside from the regular-season finale against the Rangers — a game with no standings implications — he had barely played. Yet the Lightning trusted that his physical presence could matter, and Game 4 validated that belief. Special Teams Crack The Door Open The game unfolded with whistles dominating the rhythm, as the teams combined for 13 power plays and nearly 20 minutes of special-teams time. After Brandon Hagel and Mike Matheson took offsetting slashing minors late in the second period, four-on-four space opened for Tampa Bay’s most dangerous players. Jake Guentzel capitalized with 54 seconds remaining in the period, finishing a sharp give-and-go with J.J. Moser to cut the deficit to 2-1. That goal changed everything. Instead of entering intermission chasing two goals in a hostile building, the Lightning walked into the dressing room with belief and momentum. Only 51 seconds into the third period, Tampa Bay went back to work on the power play. The puck movement was surgical. Guentzel drew Montreal’s penalty killers high, fed Nikita Kucherov below the right circle, and Kucherov threaded a seam pass across the crease to Hagel at the far post. Hagel buried it 100 seconds into the period, tying the game 2-2. The Bell Centre, deafening for much of the night, suddenly quieted. Kucherov Silences Montreal Montreal fans had showered Kucherov with boos throughout the night, a lingering grudge from his infamous remarks after Tampa Bay defeated the Canadiens in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. The hostility intensified midway through the third when Jake Evans was penalized for cross-checking Kucherov into the boards. As Kucherov slowly rose and later returned to the ice during the power play, the jeers only grew louder. Minutes later, he answered in the cruelest possible way. From outside the right circle, Kucherov whipped a puck toward the net that struck Hagel, who had established body position in front of Matheson, and caromed past goaltender Jakub Dobes with 4:53 remaining. Hagel’s second goal of the night stood as the winner. Tampa Bay completed the comeback with a 3-2 victory, evening the series at two games apiece and reclaiming home-ice advantage as the matchup shifts back to Florida. What looked like a series slipping away became a best-of-three in a matter of one crushing hit, two clinical finishes, and a veteran team refusing to break.
4mo
The Hockey News
Ridly Greig Facing Discipline After Ugly Finish To Senators’ Season
Ridly Greig’s season may be over, but the fallout from Ottawa’s ugly first-round exit is just beginning. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Sunday that Greig will have a hearing for roughing Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker after a chaotic finish to Game 4 on Saturday. A date and time for the hearing have not yet been announced. The incident unfolded during a late scrum involving Greig, teammate Warren Foegele, and Walker. As Foegele had Walker tied up in a headlock, Greig came in and landed a sucker punch on the Hurricanes blueliner. No penalty was assessed on the play. Any suspension or supplemental discipline issued to Greig would be served at the start of next season. Ottawa’s 4-3 loss completed a first-round sweep at the hands of Carolina, sending the Senators into the offseason on a sour and controversial note.
4mo
The Hockey News
Wyatt Johnston Wins It in 2OT as Stars Outlast Wild in Game 3 Thriller
If Game 3 proved anything, it’s that postseason hockey doesn’t just test endurance—it exposes nerve. Wyatt Johnston delivered the dagger 12:10 into double overtime, redirecting a point shot from Miro Heiskanen to lift the Dallas Stars to a dramatic 4–3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 of their Western Conference First Round clash Wednesday night. The finish was fittingly chaotic. Johnston—who paced the league with 27 power-play goals during the regular season—found open ice in the slot and got just enough of Heiskanen’s shot to change its path, slipping it past a helpless Jesper Wallstedt and silencing the building in an instant. Stars’ Power Play Delivers When It Matters Most Dallas didn’t just survive this one—they leaned into their stars to drag them across the line. Matt Duchene orchestrated the offense with a four-point night, while Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen each contributed a goal and an assist. In net, Jake Oettinger turned aside 28 shots, steady if not spectacular, as the Stars grabbed a 2–1 series lead. Game 4 now looms Saturday, again on Minnesota ice. The opening period suggested Dallas might run away with it. Their power play struck early—Robertson carried the puck over the line with patience, drawing defenders before threading a pass to Rantanen, who slipped behind coverage and redirected it home for a 1–0 lead. Later, Robertson doubled the advantage himself, beating Wallstedt clean from the right circle with a quick release that found daylight under the glove. Wild Push Back, But Dallas Wins War of Attrition But Minnesota refused to fold. Marcus Johansson cut into the deficit late in the first, wiring a shot through traffic that pinballed off bodies and into the net. The equalizer came courtesy of Joel Eriksson Ek, who finished off a relentless individual effort from Matt Boldy—a sequence that saw Boldy fight through multiple defenders before slipping a perfect feed into the slot. Then came a moment years in the making. Michael McCarron, playing his first postseason run in nearly a decade-long NHL career, gave the Wild their first lead late in the second. His shot from the top of the circle found twine just seconds after Minnesota killed off a lengthy Dallas power play, including a tense 5-on-3 stretch. It felt like a turning point. It wasn’t. Duchene answered in the third, snapping home a power-play goal from a sharp angle to tie the game 3–3 and reset the tension. From there, both teams traded chances, bodies, and momentum swings deep into the night—Dallas finishing 3-for-8 on the man advantage, Minnesota 1-for-7—until Johnston finally settled it. Two overtimes. One mistake. One touch. And now, a series that suddenly runs through Dallas’ grip.
4mo
The Hockey News
For The Final Time: Crosby vs. Ovechkin
One of the best rivalries in hockey could see the final curtain today. Who's watching with us?
4mo
The Hockey News
BREAKING: Flames Land Rising UND Defenseman Abram Wiebe
University of North Dakota defenseman Abram Wiebe is taking the next step in his hockey journey—straight to the NHL. The 6-foot-3 junior out of Mission, British Columbia has signed with the Calgary Flames and is expected to join the team immediately, giving him a legitimate chance to appear in games before the regular season wraps up. Calgary has just four contests remaining, beginning with a road matchup in Seattle on Saturday, followed by home dates against Utah, Colorado, and Los Angeles. Read more here.
4mo
The Hockey News
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