An Avalanche superstar casually predicted Cale Makar could make $20 million, and nearly two years later, that prediction has become reality.
Nathan MacKinnon had just watched one of his closest friends, Mikko Rantanen, leave Colorado when he inadvertently predicted the future.
It was Jan. 5, 2025, and the Colorado Avalanche had traded their star forward to the Carolina Hurricanes in a stunning blockbuster. After nearly a decade with the Avalanche, Rantanen was suddenly gone, leaving MacKinnon to process the departure of a longtime teammate.
Following Colorado’s 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins that night, MacKinnon spoke openly about Rantanen.
He had called him shortly after the trade became official, and the two talked for nearly 20 minutes.
“I just know I’m gonna miss him,” MacKinnon said. “He’s such a great person, so it’s gonna be tough.”
MacKinnon was also asked about the financial side of the situation and the massive contracts being handed to elite NHL players.
His answer was characteristically straightforward.
“I really don’t care,” MacKinnon said. “If anyone who really knows me knows I really don’t care about money. It’s the last thing on my mind.”
Nearly 20 months later, The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak resurfaced a line from that conversation that has aged remarkably well.
Masisak shared the old clip on social media, bringing MacKinnon's prediction back into the spotlight.
MacKinnon had casually mentioned Cale Makar while talking about what might happen when another one of his superstar teammates eventually needed a new contract.
“If Cale’s up, who knows? He could get 20. So it’s like, it is what it is.”
At the time, it was nothing more than a passing comment.
Now, it looks pretty darn accurate.
The Avalanche have signed Makar to an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension, giving him a $20.4 million average annual value and making him the highest-paid player in NHL history. The extension begins with the 2027-28 season and runs through 2034-35.
MacKinnon wasn't trying to predict the future when he said it.
He wasn't suggesting Makar would become the highest-paid player in hockey or that the NHL's salary market would reach a point where a defenseman could make more than $20 million per season.
He was just talking about his teammate.
And he wasn't far off.
Makar's new contract makes him the first player in NHL history to cross the $20 million annual mark. He'll earn $20.4 million per season once the extension kicks in.
That's what makes the old clip so interesting.
MacKinnon didn't make some big prediction about where the NHL was headed. He wasn't trying to figure out exactly what Makar's next contract would be worth.
He simply threw out $20 million as a possibility.
Nearly two years later, Makar ended up beating it.
Maybe MacKinnon knew his teammate better than the rest of us.
Or maybe he really is a fortune teller after all.
