Well, it's official. The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Cale Makar to an eight-year, $163.2 million deal, starting next season. That means his average annual value (AAV) will be a staggering $20.4 million. He will be by far the highest-paid player in the NHL starting in 2027-28.
That said, what does it mean for the Vancouver Canucks in how they will handle business moving forward? Do they have what it takes to make the splash moves to accelerate the rebuild? where to they sit right now and in the future in their roster construction?
If you build it, will they come?
Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Canucks have $17.814 million left in cap space. Out of the max $104 million, the Canucks have an $86.185 million roster as of August 28. That includes 44 of 50 contract slots taken up and 23 of 23 players on the active roster.
What's even crazier to think about is that going into the 2027-28 season, the Canucks will have $50.576 million in cap space. That includes 17 of 50 standard contracts signed, along with 13 of 23 active roster players on the NHL roster. Furthermore, that includes Tyler Myers' contract coming off the books.
While that is a ton of open roster spots and a huge influx of money, will the Canucks use it wisely? Next summer, after the 2026-27 season, players like Zach Werenski, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Clayton Keller, etc., will be unrestricted free agents (UFAs) and restricted free agents (RFAs). That's not saying it'll be easy for the Canucks to throw money at any of them and have them sign.
However, if they want to accelerate the rebuild and bring in some big free agents, they need to show players that they mean business. The question is, which players can they sign to move the needle, and who want to come to Vancouver? That is what the Canucks need to figure out and plan accordingly. Now that Makar has set the market next season, Vancouver will need to game plan wisely.
The pressure will be on general manager Ryan Johnson to get the ownership group to be on board with throwing money at big-name talent, especially with 10 players coming off the books from the current roster. They'll have 17 total deals signed with over $50 million in cap space. They have the opportunity to reload for the 2027-28 season and maybe make a push in the Pacific Division. Does that mean giving money to anyone? No, they need to be smart about who to give the big money to.
However, the Canucks also need to make players feel like they'll contend sooner rather than later. The 2026-27 season will be pivotal for the Canucks to improve and show that they will bring in talent to help get this team back into the playoffs. The question is, are they able to get it done on and off the ice?
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