Overview
- Joe Sakic, speaking at the season-ending press availability on Thursday, June 11, confirmed he has resumed general manager duties after Chris MacFarland’s departure and said the team expects to sign Cale Makar to an extension this summer.
- Sakic announced that head coach Jared Bednar and the entire coaching staff will return for 2026-27 and that the organization plans to ‘run it back’ around the core of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Gabriel Landeskog.
- Makar is entering the final year of a six-year, $54 million deal and becomes extension-eligible on July 1; analysts project his next contract could run about eight years with an average annual value north of $15 million.
- The Avalanche have very limited cap room, roughly $2.97 million by published estimates, and Sakic warned that Makar’s expected payday will require careful roster and salary-cap management and could force trades or other moves.
- Colorado will also focus on repairing playoff injuries, addressing on-ice execution that faltered in the four-game sweep by Vegas, and advancing plans for a new shared practice facility in the Denver area.