The Cale Makar contract would have been shocking if it happened on July 1st. However, this has been the most expensive offseason when it comes to bigger and better contracts. When Leo Carlsson signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers, it changed the market. No longer would players stick in the $12-14 million range. Now, we’re looking at $18+ million.
Immediately after the Anaheim Ducks matched Carlsson’s contract, two very interesting contracts were signed. Macklin Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million deal. That beats the average annual value of the Carlsson contract.
On Friday, we learned that the next contract would be the biggest. Cale Makar signed for eight years and $20.4 million per season. It’s the largest contract in history by AAV and just $400,000 below the maximum contract he could sign right now. Many consider Makar the best defenseman in the game right now. He plays a premium position as a right-handed defenseman, and he’s just 27 years old, so he should remain in his prime through the contract.
And let’s be serious. We’ve seen plenty of players still get decent deals in their late 30s.
Now let’s get to the point. Prior to all of this, Nico Hischier signed a five-year extension worth $11.7 million per season. At the time, we called it a “fair deal for both sides.” Two months later, it’s clear the Devils got a massive deal from Hischier.
Hischier is constantly compared to Makar because of the fact they were in the same draft. It’s a fact that the Devils at least had someone considering Makar when they eventually drafted Hischier. Our sources tell us the consensus was Hischier, but there was a contingent that considered Makar and current Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
Nico Hischier continues to see the Cale Makar comparison after new contracts
Most people would choose Makar first overall in a 2017 NHL Draft redo. The Devils look very different if they end up selecting Makar. Taylor Hall probably never wins an MVP, but they also probably don’t trade for P.K. Subban. Today, they might be better, or they might be worse. Hischier is hardly the issue impacting the Devils.
The comparisons between Makar and Hischier are always going to be there. Now, we have two contracts, one that is almost half the price of the other one. Is Makar twice the player of Hischier? We’d say the Devils are pretty happy with where they are with Nico Hischier at $11.7 million per season.
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