Makar’s Contract: The CH Is One of the Winners, According to Greg Wyshynski

Raphael Simard
Makar’s Contract: The CH Is One of the Winners, According to Greg Wyshynski
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A few days ago, Cale Makar sent shockwaves through the hockey world with an eight-year contract worth $20.4 million annually.

In four years, the first contract worth $30 million or more per year could be signed.

But as for the Avalanche defenseman's massive deal, Greg Wyshynski (ESPN) wrote a piece on the winners and losers. Montreal is one of the winners.

The reason: Lane Hutson.

In Wyshynski's (ESPN) piece, he notes that the defenseman, who finished with one point fewer than Makar in 2025–2026, has a contract that costs the team $11.55 million less per season in payroll. That makes a huge difference, and with those $11.55 million saved, you can afford a star player anywhere in your lineup.

In an article by RG Media, Andrei Markov also compared Makar's contract to Hutson's.

Now, the context surrounding the signing of the two defensemen is completely different, and I've actually asked people to stop comparing the two. But if we look solely at on-ice statistics—and not at the context of the contract signing—it's true that Makar's contract is a win for Kent Hughes and the Habs.

The other winners are the Avalanche, Matthew Schaefer, and the players' bargaining power.

The losers: Bill Guerin, the Blue Jackets, short-term contracts, and stats geeks.


In a nutshell

– That's for sure.

– Injury update for the Jays.

– Interesting.

– Signing in Arizona.

– Of course.

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