Cale Makar accepts the weight of being the NHL’s highest-paid player, signing with Avalanche through 2034-35

Cale Makar is still adjusting to what his contract says about his place in the NHL. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman signed an extension late last week that will keep him with the team through the 2034-35 season, and the deal also puts him in the league’s highest-paid player tier. At a news conference on Monday, Makar described the move as a moment that is still settling in, while acknowledging the pressure that comes with setting the market for his position.

Makar’s comments were framed around personal standards rather than external factors. He said he is “a guy that just puts a lot of pressure on myself to do well year in, year out,” according to reports tied to the signing. That mindset is especially relevant for a player in a role that carries both visibility and responsibility, because elite defenders are asked to be catalysts on offense while also handling matchups that can decide games.

In Colorado’s recent identity, Makar has been central to both ends of the ice. As the Avalanche build around their core, a player of his stature typically becomes more than a top talent, turning into an organizing piece for how the team approaches transition, shot generation, and defensive structure. When a club commits to a long runway with a franchise defenseman, it is usually indicating that it wants continuity more than one-off fixes, and that the team’s best hockey is expected to emerge from the same backbone for years.

The timeline matters because the extension stretches well beyond the immediate cycle. Through 2034-35, Makar’s deal reaches far into the future, meaning Colorado is betting that the skills that made him a benchmark will remain productive even as the league changes around him. Long-term contracts can also shape the surrounding roster decisions, since the team must plan for how much cap space it can dedicate to other contributors, including forwards who depend on elite two-way defensemen to create reliable lanes and time.

For Makar, the pressure he referenced is also the kind that often intensifies after a record-setting contract. Players who become the highest-paid in the league tend to attract a different kind of scrutiny, because expectations are no longer just “be good,” they become “be historically good.” That is a difficult bar for any athlete, particularly in the NHL where injuries, line matching, and the variance of playoff hockey can swing outcomes even for the most complete players.

The Avalanche are now entering the season with one of their defining pieces locked in for an extended window, which can simplify several parts of roster planning. Rather than treating Makar as a short-term centerpiece, Colorado can build strategies around the assumption that he remains available and central to the game plan. The next chapter will be watching how the team’s on-ice roles evolve in the years ahead, and whether Colorado’s system continues to maximize his strengths as he settles deeper into the expectations that come with the extension.