The Colorado Avalanche don’t need to give Cale Makar the longest contract possible—they need to give him the right one, because keeping the best defenseman of his generation in Colorado matters far more than whether his next deal lasts six, seven or eight years.

That distinction matters as the Avalanche and their franchise defenseman work through what could become the most important contract negotiation in the organization’s history. The easy assumption is that Colorado has to lock Makar into an eight-year extension and pay whatever it takes to get there.

But eight years shouldn’t automatically be viewed as the only successful outcome.

If Makar were to sign a six-year extension worth, hypothetically, $17 million per season—and that contract helped Colorado win another Stanley Cup—would anyone in Denver really care that he didn’t sign for eight years?

Probably not.

They’d be celebrating another championship.

And that’s the part of this conversation that seems to get lost. Makar isn’t a player Colorado needs to convince itself to keep. He’s the player the organization should be building around. The question isn’t whether Makar belongs in an Avalanche uniform for the rest of his career.

He does.

The real question is what that commitment should look like.

There seems to be an assumption that anything less than eight years would somehow represent a failure for the Avalanche. That’s a difficult argument to make when the alternative could still mean six years of having the best defenseman in hockey under contract.

If Makar and the Avalanche ultimately agree on a six-year contract at $17 million per season, that would still represent an enormous commitment from Colorado. It could also potentially come in below what Makar might command if the market for elite NHL talent continues to climb.

And if Makar helps deliver another Stanley Cup during that contract, nobody is going to be sitting around Ball Arena complaining that Colorado should have gotten two additional years.

They’ll be celebrating and likely intoxicated from tasty drinks. 

Makar’s next contract shouldn’t be judged solely by the number of years printed on the document. It should be judged by what Colorado gets from those years, what Makar gets from the deal and whether the Avalanche can continue surrounding him with enough talent to compete for championships.

There’s also another possibility that seems to get overlooked.

Makar could sign a six-year deal, reach the end of it while still playing at an elite level and sign another contract that carries him into the final years of his career.

Suddenly, six years isn’t an escape hatch.

It’s simply another chapter in what could ultimately become a career spent entirely in Colorado.

The best thing Avs fans can do, which is notoriously a struggle for them, is to remain patient.

The biggest contracts in professional sports rarely come together because both sides sit down on a Tuesday afternoon and immediately agree on a number.

There are negotiations. There are competing priorities. There are different ideas about term, salary and the future of the team.

That’s normal.

Makar’s camp has every reason to maximize the value of the best years of his career. Colorado has every reason to retain its franchise player while preserving enough flexibility to continue building a Stanley Cup contender around him.

Those objectives aren’t necessarily in conflict.

They just have to be balanced.

As we recently reported at The Hockey News, massive contracts like this take time regardless of the sport. Both sides want to walk away believing they made the right decision, and finding that middle ground can take plenty of conversations behind closed doors.

Eventually, someone finds the sweet spot.

That’s what Colorado and Makar need to find.

Not necessarily eight years.

Not necessarily $17 million.

Not necessarily whatever number generates the biggest headline.

The right deal.

Colorado shouldn’t be pressured into believing that an eight-year contract is the only way to prove its commitment to Makar.

It isn’t.

If the Avalanche can find a six-year agreement that keeps Makar in Colorado, pays him appropriately and gives the organization enough flexibility to remain competitive around him, there is nothing inherently wrong with that outcome.

Because the goal isn’t to win the contract negotiation.

The goal is to win another Stanley Cup.

That should be the priority for both sides.

Whether the eventual agreement is six years, seven years or eight years, the most important part remains the same: Cale Makar stays in Colorado.

The Avalanche get to keep their franchise defenseman, Makar gets to continue chasing championships in the place where his career began, and both sides get another opportunity to add to what has already become a remarkable story.

When Makar eventually retires, nobody is going to remember whether his final extension was six years or eight.

They’ll remember the championships, the Norris Trophies, and all of the times Makar put the game on his stick and delivered. 

And, most importantly for Colorado, they’ll remember that Cale Makar spent his entire career as an Avalanche.