3 “Would You Rather” Questions Following Cale Makar’s New Deal

The minute Cale Makar signed an eight-year extension for $20.4 million per season, reactions were split on whether this was a great deal or a not-so-great one. No doubt, Makar is one of, if not the best, defensemen in the NHL. However, $20.8 million is a lot to spend on one player. Based on the percentage of the cap he’ll be taking as time goes by, the contract will look better, but he’s eating up a lot of Colorado’s ability to do other things.

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Not surprisingly, fans and analysts around the NHL started looking at their own roster or other defensemen and asking the “would you rather” question.

Excluding players with contracts that are about to end in a season or two, here are some we’ve seen so far. These players are on similar-term deals, but their AAVs are ridiculously lower.

Darren Raddysh vs Cale Makar

Choosing Darren Raddysh at $8.5 million over Cale Makar at $20.4 million is certainly a take that will spark debate. But there is a legitimate salary-cap argument behind it. This isn’t as much about Raddysh being a comparable player, but more about what he brings and the fact that Toronto can add a lot more to their lineup because the salaries are so different.

Makar’s $20.4 million cap hit is more than double Raddysh’s. The $11.9 million difference could potentially be used to add another top-six forward, strengthen the blue line, or build greater depth throughout the lineup. Raddysh is also coming off a season in which he scored 70 points and had 22 goals. He may never produce at that level again, but he’s a power play juggernaut, so he should get his share of points.

This one is a bit of a comparable because both are locked into relatively similar terms. As the cap continues to increase over the next eight seasons, their deals will stay the same.

Lane Hutson vs Cale Makar

Lane Hutson signed 10 months ago for 43% of Makar’s AAV. That is truly astonishing, considering how lucky the Montreal Canadiens were to get that deal signed before contracts started to explode. Hutson is not Makar. There are plenty of similarities, though. It’s speed versus shiftiness. It’s age versus experience. It’s also contract timing.

Hutson’s eight-year, $8.5 million-per-season contract will look like a steal (it already does). Given he’s just barely starting to scratch the surface of what he’ll become as a defenseman, he may not currently be at the same overall level as Makar, but who’s to say he can’t get there? Hutson has 144 points in his past two seasons. He’s on a good young team that is trending upward and he’s got stars surrounding him that will help him get points.

However, there is a counterargument to comparing these two. As Marco D’Amico points out, “Lane Hutson was a 10.2(c) RFA with one season under his belt and no recourse to offer sheets or arbitration. His contract is a steal, but comparing it to Cale Makar is just silly.”

The Canadiens have been smart with their money, with several contracts that look incredible now. Put another way, would you rather have Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson at a combined $16.37 million or Nathan MacKinnon and Makar at $33 million combined?

Jaccob Slavin vs. Cale Makar

At $6.396 million, Jacob Slavin’s contract with the Carolina Hurricanes might be the best value deal for a defenseman in the NHL. He’s a true stud and an excellent stop-blueliner. As a defense-first d-man, he’s better than Makar. The big difference is offense. He doesn’t provide much.

This becomes a question of offense versus defense and which one a team should prioritize. They say that defense wins championships. Carolina just won the Stanley Cup. What’s interesting is that the Hurricanes can spend their money on an offensive defenseman to work with Slavin and still save money. Any combination of K’Andre Miller, Shayne Gostisbehere, or Sean Walker and their deals, along with Slavin’s, still come in cheaper than Makar’s. Only Gostisbehere has a deal ending soon and he won’t be expensive if re-signed.

Slavin makes more than $13 million less per season than Makar. He’s in year two of an eight-year extension.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Avalanche, Canadiens & Oilers What If?