Joe Sakic skates in Avs alumni game as Cale Makar extension talks continue

Colorado Avalanche front office executive Joe Sakic was back on the ice Sunday night for an Avalanche alumni game, joining several of his Stanley Cup-winning teammates in a matchup designed more for memories than meaningful results.

Sakic, a Hall of Fame forward who built much of the franchise’s peak-era identity as a player, took “just a few shifts” for old time’s sake, according to the Associated Press story carried by Yahoo Sports. For those brief stretches, he was paired on a line with Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk, two other central figures from the Avalanche’s championship run.

The alumni event also landed in the middle of a separate, more consequential storyline for the Avalanche organization. Sakic’s day-to-day responsibilities in the front office include contract matters, and the focus moving forward is the team’s pursuit of an extension for defenseman Cale Makar.

Makar, who has won the Norris Trophy twice as the league’s top defenseman, is the type of player a contending club is built around. The AP report notes that the contract extension talks are continuing, with the intent of keeping Makar in Denver “well into the future.” The public-facing details of the deal, such as length or any completed terms, were not provided in the available account.

From a team-building standpoint, a Makar extension is about more than headline hardware. When an elite two-way defenseman is the driver of a franchise’s power, structure, and transition game, long-term control can reduce the need for major recalibration in the salary and roster ecosystem as other contracts mature.

The alumni game setting, meanwhile, underscored the Avalanche’s continuity through different eras. Sakic’s role has changed, but the organizational through-line remains familiar to Colorado fans who associate Forsberg and Hejduk with the team’s most celebrated moments. That contrast between past championship identity and present roster-management priorities reflects how NHL franchises operate year-round: nostalgia in one arena, roster leverage in another.

What to watch next is straightforward. Colorado’s next steps on Makar’s extension will likely shape how the Avalanche plan around the rest of its defensive group and overall cap posture, particularly as the organization looks to stay competitive across an NHL season rather than simply retool for one campaign. Until more information is confirmed, the only safe takeaway is that talks are ongoing and Makar’s future with Colorado remains the centerpiece of the conversation.