In the dog days of summer for the Colorado Avalanche, there is still some worry and concern about the lack of a new Cale Makar contract. Makar was eligible to sign a new contract as early as July 1.

He is entering the final year of his six-year deal with a $9 million AAV. Makar is due a raise, perhaps more than double his current salary.

There is some worry about what the number will be and the percentage of the cap it will take up. More importantly, there could be a concern since there seems to be no urgency to get the contract done anytime soon.

Why the worry?

The way things seem to be trending, there are many similarities to what happened before trading away Mikko Rantanen. Both sides still wanted to work together and find an agreement to keep the Finnish winger in Colorado.

There were even reports from Jesse Montano about the two coming close to a deal during the summer. However, a deal never came, and the Avalanche scrambled to trade him and make up in the aggregate.


Luckily for the Avs, Martin Necas has turned into a sweet treat on the top line. Jack Drury was also solid depth before being traded away this offseason.

But the Avalanche cannot rely on doing the same thing if they cannot sign Makar. Simply put, there is no other defender or collection of defenders who can make up for Makar in the aggregate.

A quick caveat to all of this: the Rantanen deal was made with Makar’s upcoming contract at the top of mind. Hence, former GM Chris MacFarland and current GM Joe Sakic had to be making this a priority even a few years ago.

So when is it appropriate to start to worry?

In my opinion, the concern started when Makar wasn’t signed on July 1. However, perhaps more appropriately, others will be worried if nothing is done by training camp.

If it gets to that point, Makar’s focus will be more on the upcoming season and avenging their sweep by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.

The important date to consider is September 15. It’s the day before the start of training camp, but it’s also the final day Makar is eligible to sign an eight-year contract. When the new CBA kicks in the following day, Colorado can only sign him for up to seven years.

Of course, things will only get more nerve-wracking if games start without a signed contract. Sakic has stated that they want Makar to end his career in Colorado. But they must agree to make that happen, preferably sooner rather than later.