NHLThe Cale Makar contract officially pushed this summer’s NHL salary explosion into ridiculous territory. First, it was Kaprizov getting 17 sheets. Then Leo Carlsson signed his massive 18 million offer sheet. Celebrini followed and take 18.8 per season making him the highest paid player in the league. Celebrini’s title didn’t last long as Cale Makar smoked them all out of the building whenever he re-upped with Colorado yesterday. Cale signed for 20.4(!) million a season for the next eight years. Makar was only a couple hundred thousand shy of signing a max dollar deal. It’s huge money but it is completely deserved money.
Why the Cale Makar Contract Is Worth Every Dollar
For my money Cale is absolutely worth the money. I have never seen a defenseman quite like Makar. Makar is one of, if not the best, offensive defensemen in the league while also being a legitimate shutdown defender in his own zone. Prime Erik Karlsson possessed the same defensive deficiencies he has today. Quinn Hughes is dynamic offensively, so too is Lane Hutson, but neither can defend like Makar. Zdeno Chara and Shea Weber never had an offensive game to the level of Makar. The only defender, at least in the somewhat modern era, who compares to Makar is Lidstrom. Lidstrom was a force defensively and was great in the offensive zone, though I would give Makar the edge offensively. Makar is truly one of my favorite players in the entire sport because of the way he plays throughout the entire rink. I tried to do some research to see if a defenseman was ever the highest AAV player in a season and couldn’t find reliable results, but I would guess they have not been historically. Goals and points are essentially what get you the big bucks in the NHL. Being a shutdown defender is not well paid. Even being an upper echelon offensive defensemen doesn’t get you the full bag. Cale is special because he gives you the production of a top line forward and plays enough defensive minutes to also be trusted in any situation. He is the Sidney Crosby of defensemen, and that’s not something I would ever say lightly. In my opinion, I think this signing was completely necessary for Colorado. No matter how good MacKinnon is, that team goes nowhere without Cale.
This contract doesn’t worry me going forward for Colorado either. Nate is signed for under 13 million for the next 4 seasons. Necas got locked up too. The rest of their key pieces are signed. Sure, as a GM, you’d prefer to not have a 20-million-dollar player, but when the rest of your contracts are locked up you can absolutely afford to make such a decision. Also, the salary cap for a long time has made players feel like they are responsible for managing the cap, and frankly that isn’t their job. I know taking less can help build a true contender something that Crosby is famous for doing and saying. However, it’s up the managers to appropriately manage their cap situation and I think the days of players taking massive discounts is over. I am all for the players in the league making more money because it does give them more power and maybe even a little bit more public shine. Hell, Makar’s contract is not even top 90 if he were in the NBA. Kyle Kuzma is making more money!
I will say that this contract makes a lot of other players look like insane bargains. Evan Bouchard signed a 10.5-million-dollar contract (yes, I am aware of his defensive woes). Lane Hutson is making under 9 million. Werenski is only making nine and a half per season (though he only has a few years left). The dollars teams are spending on defensemen are rising and guys like Quinn Hughes, and eventually Werenski, are absolutely going to be demanding money similar to Cale. I have seen some Chicago fans saying that Cale’s contract makes Byram’s contract seem favorable. Those people in Chicago are absolutely insane. Byram is not even on the same planet as Cale Makar. Yes, Bo is making significantly less money (roughly 8 million a season) but Byram shouldn’t be in the upper echelon of defensemen without doing much to prove he’s worth it. Speaking of Bo Byram, his old team might be getting a steal right now. The Sabres have Dahlin for the next five seasons at 11 million and Owen Power for the same time under 9 million. That’s two incredible defensemen under the total value of Makar, and for a significant amount of time. Any team fortunate enough to sign a stud defenseman before this summer has to be thanking their lucky stars. The cost never goes down, especially with a rising cap. So, if you’re a team like Dallas or Buffalo with defenders on now great contracts, you need to make the most of the opportunity. No matter the comparable contracts, Cale was absolutely worth this deal as none of the defenders listed have the accolades that he has collected.
What contract would you have given Makar, the NHL’s new highest paid player?
