Loading…
Loading…Cale Makar is one of the NHL's elite defensemen: his 96.1 overall ranks 8th of 327 rated defensemen on BluelineMetrics. That makes him the 2nd-highest-rated player on the Colorado Avalanche roster.
The standout tool is offensive creation (99), backed by finishing (94); penalty killing (49) is the part of his game that grades lowest.
Over 7 rated seasons since 2019-20 he has averaged 98.6, peaking at 100 in 2021-22; last season's 94.6 was down 4 points.
At $9M through 2026-27 before unrestricted free agency, the model rates the deal Underpaid: his expected value is $12.6M, so the Colorado Avalanche save roughly $3.58M a season against his production.
An extension worth $20.4M a year for 8 seasons (2027-28 to 2034-35) kicks in after that, which the model grades Overpaid.
His cap hit is the 3rd-largest on the Colorado Avalanche NHL roster and uses 8.7% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $1.2M in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 99 |
| Defense | 61 |
| Play driving | 90 |
| Finishing | 94 |
| Power play | 80 |
| Penalty kill | 49 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | COL | 75 | 94.6 | 0.8 |
| 2024-25 | COL | 80 | 98.6 | 1.3 |
| 2023-24 | COL | 77 | 97.5 | 0.9 |
| 2022-23 | COL | 60 | 99.7 | 1.1 |
| 2021-22 | COL | 77 | 100 | 2.1 |
| 2020-21 | COL | 44 | 100 | 1.1 |
| 2019-20 | COL | 57 | 100 | 1 |
Other COL defensemen by rating: Devon Toews (93.7), Sam Malinski (85.2), Josh Manson (60.2), Brent Burns (58.7). See the full Colorado Avalanche cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.