Rumour Corner: Avalanche hopes to pay Cale Makar less than $17 million

Dose
Crédit: X @TrendingSportsP

The Colorado Avalanche have just settled a big deal, signing Martin Necas for the next eight years for $92 million, an average annual salary of $11.5 million.

The next priority for the Avalanche is to sign Cale Makar on a long-term basis, when he will be eligible for an extension on July 1, 2026.

And it could cost a lot of money to keep the NHL’s best defenseman in Denver.

In fact, according to Elliotte Friedman, if the Avalanche manage to sign Makar for a penny less than Kirill Kaprizov, it would be a big win for the organization.

We’re still talking about a salary of $17 million per year in Kaprizov’s case.

Even at $16 million, without being exaggerated for a player of Makar’s stature, it’s still a lot of money, but in the context of a rising cap, we should expect to see more and more of this kind of contract.

Panarin wants to offer his services to the highest bidder.

Speaking of big money, we don’t yet know if Artemi Panarin will finish the season in New York, but we do know that he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

According to Elliotte Friedman, the forward is looking for the best possible price for his next contract.

At 34, Panarin is still capable of playing good hockey even if he has started to slow down, but he’ll have to expect a substantial pay cut even if he wants to go with the highest bidder for the man who earned $11,642,857 on average this past year.

Flyers and Mammoth interested in Devon Levi

The Sabres have a surplus of goaltenders with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis, Alexandar Georgiev and Devon Levi in the organization.

However, Levi doesn’t like the current situation in Buffalo and has reportedly asked his club to trade him to a team that can give him more playing time in the AHL.

Marco D’Amico reports that, according to Jimmy Murphy, the Flyers and Mammoth have shown interest in the goaltender.

Both clubs, and the Flyers in particular, are reportedly looking for reinforcements between the posts, and a promising young goaltender like Levi could be an interesting addition for them.

In short, a story to follow in the coming weeks.

Overtime

– His first of the season.

– What a save!

– Ouch!

– No pressure despite his contract.