Elliotte Friedman reveals how much Quinn Hughes & Cale Makar will make on their next deals
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Elliotte Friedman believes the record-setting contracts signed by Leo Carlsson and Macklin Celebrini this summer have made life harder for teams trying to lock up Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar.
"I do think that the top AAV jump to 18 and then 18.8, at the very least, it's probably thrown a little bit of a challenge in there for all these teams to narrow down these numbers," Friedman said.
Carlsson signed for an $18 million average annual value with Anaheim, and Celebrini followed with an $18.8 million cap hit in San Jose.
Those numbers now sit as the benchmark for two of the NHL's top defensemen heading into extension talks.
Where Hughes and Makar Stand
Hughes is finishing a six-year, $47.1 million deal that pays him $7.85 million annually, while Makar carries a $9 million cap hit on his own expiring contract.
Both are entering walk years, and agents around the league have floated an AAV range as high as $20 million for each blueliner.
Friedman's original projection had Hughes signing a three-year, $18 million AAV extension with the Minnesota Wild sometime in July.
That deal has yet to materialize, though Friedman has said he will not start worrying unless it remains unsigned by the start of the season.
Market Still Moving
Recent defenseman deals for Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin and Thomas Harley already reset the market once this offseason.
With the salary cap projected near $104 million for 2026-27, a Hughes or Makar signing above $18.8 million would push the ceiling even higher and reshape how teams budget for elite defensemen going forward.
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