Хамгаалагч Кэйл Макар найман жилийн хугацаатай, жилийн 20.4 сая ам.долларын цалинтай гэрээг шинэчлэн байгуулснаар NHL-ийн түүхэнд шинэ хуудас нээв.
Колорадо Эвеланш баг хамгаалагч Кэйл Макартай найман жилийн сунгалт хийж, жилийн 20.4 сая ам.долларын цалин олгохоор боллоо. Өдгөө 27 настай тэрээр өөрийн үеийн шилдэг тоглогч төдийгүй NHL-ийн түүхэн дэх хамгийн шилдэг хамгаалагчдын нэгээр тооцогдож байгаа тул багийн зүгээс ийнхүү өндөр үнэлгээ өгсөн нь зүй ёсны хэрэг гэж шинжээчид үзэж байна.
Макар өмнө нь Норрис цомыг хоёр удаа, Конн Смит цомыг нэг удаа хүртэж, Стэнлийн цомын эзэн болон Калдер цомыг гардаж байсан туршлагатай. Мөн тэрээр Бобби Орр, Ник Лидстром нарын адил зургаан жил дараалан Норрис цомын финалд шалгарсан түүхэн амжилтыг давтсан билээ.
Хэдийгээр энэхүү гэрээ нь өмнөх хамгийн өндөр цалинтай хамгаалагч Эрик Карлссоны орлогоос 8.9 сая ам.доллараар илүү байгаа ч NHL-ийн цалингийн цэс ирэх жилүүдэд өсөх төлөвтэй байгаа нь энэ гэрээг эдийн засгийн хувьд боломжийн гэж дүгнэхэд хүргэж байна. Колорадо Эвеланш баг ирэх арван жилийн хугацаанд лигийн шилдэг хамгаалагчийг эгнээндээ үлдээснээр өрсөлдөх чадвараа хадгалах баталгааг бүрдүүллээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
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The contract
The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Cale Makar to an eight-year extension with a $20.4 million AAV.
Sean Gentille: Maybe you saw this coming when Bowen Byram, a No. 3 defenseman with some degree of untapped potential, signed with the Chicago Blackhawks for six years and $75 million.
Maybe it was when Leo Carlsson, a 21-year-old center talented enough to show up on Hart Trophy ballots in the very near future, guaranteed that he’d be paid $18 million a season by either the Philadelphia Flyers or Anaheim Ducks.
Maybe it was when Makar, via the Avalanche’s official X account, looked into a camera and said the words “nine years.”
At some point over the last few months, though, it should’ve become clear: Makar was destined to sign the largest contract in NHL history, and on Friday, that destiny was fulfilled.
We’ll cut to the chase here: It would be impossible for any team, at any time, to sign Makar and not come out on top. At 27, he’s got a puncher’s chance of finishing his career as the best player of his generation and as one of the few best defensemen of all time. You do not negotiate with guys like that. You ask them how much money they’d like, and you thank them for the privilege of payment. Makar, for the record, was technically allowed to sign for $20.8 million a year. Hopefully the Avs can use that $400,000 on something nice.
Think of it this way: We live in a world where a defenseman such as Byram — a flawed, unproven player whose value is mostly theoretical — is an OK bet at $12 million annually. Where does that put Makar? How much more could a team reasonably pay someone who, even after a down season, remains the consensus top defenseman in the league? Credit to Quinn Hughes for continuing to significantly close the gap, but the gap still exists, owing to Makar’s ability to tilt the ice in all three zones and influence play with or without the puck. Watch his highlights, crack into his advanced stats, ask an NHL person, and the answer won’t change. Makar isn’t just special — he’s the best. And now, he’s paid accordingly.
Contract grade: A
James Mirtle: The list of plausible options to become the NHL’s first $20 million player was very short, and Makar’s name was pinned near the top for good reason.
Only 27, he’s already won the Norris twice, the Conn Smythe once, plus the Stanley Cup and a Calder. He’s also one of the only defensemen in NHL history to be a finalist for the Norris six straight years, including, notably, Bobby Orr and Nick Lidstrom.
The cap hit comes with some sticker shock, given the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL last year (Erik Karlsson) made just 56 percent of Makar’s new cap hit — a full $8.9 million less. That unprecedented jump only makes sense with the context that the NHL’s cap could be as high as $160 million by 2031-32, which would drop Makar’s deal to less than 13 percent of the ceiling midway through the deal. That would make his pay equivalent to roughly $12 million against last season’s cap, and he’ll still be just 31 when that season starts.
It’s also a deal signed with the understanding that star-player pay is on the rise, with the best players about to take a bigger piece of the pie given the scarcity of available talent and how aggressive teams are getting with top stars. (See: Macklin Celebrini’s new $18.8 million deal after just two seasons in the league.)
The risk here? The cap doesn’t skyrocket quite that fast, and the Avs get boxed in by paying Makar a massive share of their payroll as he declines. But what was the alternative? Let the best defenseman in the league and a future Hall of Famer walk in his prime? Try to make a trade under duress and pick up the pieces with a giant hole in your roster?
Maybe Colorado didn’t pull out a ton of surplus value the way, say, Montreal has with Lane Hutson, but what they did do was ensure Makar is on the ice for nearly half of the game every night for nearly a decade going forward. That alone should keep them in contention for at least the next five years in a parity-filled league where that’s harder to do than ever.
And it’s hard to argue with that.
Contract grade: B
