The time has come for the Avalanche to tighten its belt, and when looking at the team’s 2021-22 salary structure, the decisions will be difficult — outside the obvious one.
Star defenseman Cale Makar is a restricted free agent who must get paid. His expiring three-year, entry-level contract earned him approximately $1.94 million, according to CapFriendly.com, and the 22-year-old will quadruple that amount next season alone if he’s truly considered among the best at what he does.
The comparisons: San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, who leads all NHL defensemen with an $11.5 million annual cap hit, followed by Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty ($11 million), Nashville’s Roman Josi ($9.