The market to sign superstar players was flipped on its head this weekend, when the Colorado Avalanche inked Cale Makar to a record eight-year deal worth $20.4 million annually. This has reset the market and has made every star player in the league much more expensive. This is going to affect the Maple Leafs greatly. While everyone is quick to point to this affecting Austin Matthews' contract, it spans far beyond that. This deal will affect the way the Leafs do business for the foreseeable future.
The Maple Leafs will be feeling the effects of Cale Makar’s contract for years
Matthews is not the only player who is in store for a big payday. If everything goes right, Gavin McKenna is going to be commanding Makar-type money. Before even playing in an NHL game, fans and analysts have dubbed him the next superstar. If he is able to live up to that hype, he is going to command that type of contract. Sure, it will be a few years, but it is a salary the Leafs will have to prepare for. Especially if they ink Matthews to a similar deal.
Now, sure, the NHL salary cap is rising and will make high cap numbers a little easier to swallow. But at the same time, the asking price of players will go up as well. With more money to spend, players are going to ask for higher annual salaries. We do not know the exact number, but McKenna could be asking for well over $20 million annually. Of course, this is all speculation, but it is a price tag the Leafs will have to be prepared for.
But it is not just internal guys who are going to be demanding a big payday. Top-end free agents are going to want to cash in on this new market. They are going to want to capitalize and make as much money as possible. Plus, with them on the open market, they can get teams to get into a bidding war and drive the price up. If the Leafs want to be players for some of these big-name free agents, they are going to have to be willing to open up the checkbook.
One of the players who should be the subject of this type of bidding war is Zach Werenski. He is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2027-28 season. With his and the Blue Jackets' rocky relationship, it’s likely he will test the open market. There should be many teams interested in his services, including the Leafs. Now he will not reset the market, but with many teams interested, it will drive the price up close to Makar.
The Leafs will have some serious cap decisions to make now that Makar got his extension. They will have to be very cautious about who they give the money to.
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