Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche delivered the latest shockwave on Friday afternoon. The Avs and their franchise defenseman agreed to the largest contract in NHL history, an eight-year, $163.2 million pact that makes Makar the league’s first $20 million man and keeps him under contract with Colorado through 2035.

“First reaction … wow!” former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It wasn’t long ago that $163 million to a hockey player would never be thought of. That����ap NBA territory, so good for him.”

Makar is widely considered the NHL’s premier defenseman. He has won the Norris Trophy twice, while being named a finalist six times in his first seven seasons. He also won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs in 2022, when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup.

“A unicorn deserves to break the bank,” TSN analyst Jon Goyens said. “He helps you win every night, helps you win Cup(s) and helps you sell tickets and merchandise.”

The path to a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame is clear, and with good health, Makar will be a first-ballot lock far before this new contract is complete.

“Cale’s career to date is on par with many of the best defensemen to ever play in the history of the NHL,” ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes said. “He’s as great a person as he is a player — transformational. Love that the Avs recognized that from Day 1, and this new contract reflects that amazing partnership between him, the organization and the fans.”

Four different players have held the title “most expensive player in the NHL” since the Carolina Hurricanes lifted the Cup to complete the 2025-26 season. It was Kirill Kaprizov, with his $17 million cap hit, when the season ended.

But the Anaheim Ducks matched a 5-year, $90 million offer sheet for Leo Carlsson from the Philadelphia Flyers in early July. Carlsson, at $18 million, will have the highest cap hit in the league this coming season.

Three weeks later, Macklin Celebrini signed a five-year $94 deal that kicks in next season. His $18.8 million cap hit was set to pace the league, but Makar has already eclipsed him, and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes could as well.

“Love it for him,” MSG Network analyst Cory Schneider said. “(Makar) is worth every penny and the financial landscape of the NHL world has evolved overnight, so this is the cost of doing business to keep the best player in the world — 1B to Connor McDavid as 1A. Love seeing NHL players signing deals worth $160 million overall too. It’s good for the game.”

Makar and Hughes were in the same situation when the offseason began. They are considered the two best defensemen in the league, and both are entering the final year of their current contracts.

The big difference is that Makar was drafted by the Avalanche and has already forged a legacy in Denver. Hughes was a huge trade addition early last season for the Wild. Minnesota is under immense pressure to convince Hughes to stay, but also doesn’t have the long-term equity with the player.

“I was born 10 years too soon!” said Bryce Salvador, a former NHL captain and defenseman for the New Jersey Devils, who now works for MSG Network. “It’s great to see the league is healthy, and provided the revenue continues to grow, players are going to continue to make more money — as they should.”

In the short term, the Avs have to be elated that Makar is signed and for the maximum eight years. It was hard to imagine Makar’s situation ever reaching a point like Mikko Rantanen’s did, but that memory is still plenty fresh.

There’s at least a handful of players in this league worth $20 million, but there might not be two handfuls. And the Avs have two of them. Keeping Makar with Nathan MacKinnon remains the bedrock of everything. The rest can be figured out.

“Not really surprised,” NHL Network analyst E.J. Hardek said. “I figured it was kind of whatever (Makar) wanted to sign for. Probably pressure as the bar-setter for him to get to a high number. But, he’s a special and very impactful player, so he deserves it.”

Makar’s deal is only $400,000 per year below the maximum he could have signed for — $20.8 million, which is 20 percent of the salary cap ceiling in 2026-27. But he won’t cost nearly 20 percent of the cap in any of the deal.

The cap ceiling is expected to rise to $113.5 million in 2027-28, when Markar’s deal begins. He’ll cost just a shade below 18 percent of the cap in the first year, and then less if the ceiling continues to rise like it has the past few years.

Makar, Celebrini and Carlsson have ushered in a new era of star-level spending. Hughes will soon join them.

It’s clear that Makar being on the roster is valuable at any number. How valuable, by dollars and cents, could depend on how many other defensemen join him and Hughes near the top of the financial food chain.

Zach Werenski, the 2026 Norris Trophy winner, is eligible for a similar megadeal next summer. So is Winnipeg’s No. 1 guy, Josh Morrissey. Miro Heiskanen, Evan Bouchard and Adam Fox are all two years out, along with Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer.

But a lot of the best young defensemen in the league — Lane Hutson, Jackson Lacombe, Moritz Seider, Brock Faber, Noah Dobson, Thomas Harley and Rasmus Dahlin among them — are already locked into long-term contracts and won’t be joining the $ 15-million-plus club until at least halfway through Makar’s new deal.

Think of it like Nikola Jokic. He was absolutely worth $55 million to the Denver Nuggets this past season as one of the best players in the world. But he was even more valuable because 25 players in the league made at least $45 million.

“There are a lot of layers to it,” MSG analyst and 20-year NHL defenseman Ken Danyeko said. “The landscape has changed, as we know. I still think teams have to be careful and not get careless. I know easier said then done. I go by recent history and the balance on teams’ salaries that win Cups — I think that means something.

“Having said that, if there’s a guy you can pay this much, I would think it would be Makar. Best d-man in the league. But for me, that doesn’t mean you pay an above-average d-man $13 to $14 million because Makar set the bar. You have to still draw the line if you are going to have team success.”

The Colorado Avalanche and the superstar defenseman have agreed to an eight-year contract, he announced Friday afternoon . The deal is worth $163.2 million, which makes it the largest in NHL history. It will carry a cap hit of $20.4 million per season.

Makar has one season left on his current deal, a six-year, $54 million pact, which he signed on July 24, 2021. The new contract will start with the 2027-28 season, and runs through 2035.

“Cale is a generational defenseman and his accomplishments speak for themselves,” Avalanche president and general manager Joe Sakic said in a statement. “He is obviously a tremendous competitor and player but even more so a great person, teammate and ambassador for the Avalanche and the Rocky Mountain region. We are beyond thrilled to get this deal done and have Cale in an Avalanche sweater for the next decade.”

Makar’s new contract includes a full no-movement clause, and a total of $127.6 million in signing bonuses. Those one-time payments are made at July 1 every year.

Erik Karlsson has been the highest-paid defenseman for the past six seasons after signing an eight-year, $92 million contract ($11.5 million cap hit) in June 2019. Makar’s former teammate, Bowen Byram, surpassed that deal on July 1 when he signed a six-year, $75 million pact ($12.5 million cap hit) with the Chicago Blackhawks. Karlsson’s average annual value will still be the largest for next season before these new megadeals kick in the following year.

Two young forwards — Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini — reset the top of the market for all players after that. The Ducks matched a five-year, $90 million offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, which will make Carlsson the most expensive player in 2026-27 with an $18 million cap hit. Celebrini then signed a five-year, $94 million contract late last month. His deal, with an $18.8 million cap hit, begins in 2027-28.

The No. 4 selection in the 2018 NHL draft, Makar quickly ascended to the top of the sport and hasn’t slowed down since. The two-time Norris Trophy winner will turn 28 on Oct. 30, is a. He has been a finalist in six of his first seven NHL seasons — he and Bobby Orr are the only two players in league history to do that.

Makar also won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2019-20, and was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022.

The Calgary native won the Alberta Junior Hockey League twice with the Brooks Bandits, including an MVP award. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey as a sophomore at UMass.

Makar has won the IIHF World Junior Championships and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off with Canada. He, Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews won silver medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

“I am so excited and humbled to continue to wear the Avalanche sweater and represent this incredible organization and community,” Makar said in a statement. “I look forward to getting back on the ice with my teammates and continuing to work toward our goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to the Mile High City.”

Makar has 136 goals and 507 points — both franchise records for a defenseman — in 470 career regular-season games. He has 26 goals and 90 points in 90 playoff games. His 1.0 points per postseason contest is fifth all-time in NHL among defensemen with 20-plus games, trailing only Bobby Orr, Evan Bouchard, Brian Leetch and Paul Coffey.

He is one of 14 defensemen with multiple Norris Trophy wins. One more would make him the 10th player with three, and two more would put him in the inner circle of all-time greats with Bobby Orr, Dough Harvey, Nicklas Lidstrom and Ray Bourque.

Makar and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes, widely considered the two best defensemen in the world, were both in the same situation this offseason — entering the final year of their current contracts and eligible for an extension. Hughes and the Wild have not agreed to a deal.

The NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement begins Sept. 16. The day before is the final day that a player can sign an eight-year contract with his current club. Seven years will be the new maximum moving forward.

The Avs will be on one of the national networks 16 times in the United States after Disney and TNT announced their broadcast schedules Wednesday for the upcoming campaign. That total is ninth in the league and second in the Western Conference behind Minnesota’s 17 appearances. Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the co-leaders with 20 national games, along with the Boston Bruins.

Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the Avalanche set a franchise record with 121 points this past season en route to the Presidents’ Trophy before a stunning four-game sweep by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.

Colorado’s season opener, Sept. 30 at Ball Arena against the Los Angeles Kings, will be one of seven Avalanche games on TNT this season. Another is the 2027 NHL Winter Classic, which will be on New Year’s Eve at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth.

The Avs’ first appearance on ESPN will be Oct. 13 at Dallas against Mikko Rantanen, Matt Duchene and the rival Stars. That night is part of the NHL Frozen Frenzy when all 32 clubs will play with games starting at 15-minute intervals to stagger them throughout the night.

Colorado’s lone appearance on ABC will be April 10, when Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild come to Denver for the final game of the regular season.

Here’s a look at when the Avalanche will be on national television this season:

• Wednesday, Sept. 30: vs. Los Angeles, TNT
• Tuesday, Oct. 13: at Dallas, ESPN
• Wednesday, Oct. 14: vs. Dallas, TNT
• Thursday, Nov. 5: vs. Nashville, ESPN+
• Tuesday, Dec. 1: at Nashville, TNT
• Tuesday, Dec. 8: at Philadelphia, ESPN+
• Thursday, Dec. 31: at Utah, TNT*
• Tuesday, Jan. 12: at Pittsburgh, ESPN+
• Tuesday, Feb. 9: at Carolina, ESPN+
• Wednesday, Feb. 17: at Edmonton, TNT
• Sunday, Feb. 28: at Chicago, ESPN
• Monday, March 15: vs. Edmonton, ESPN
• Wednesday, March 17: vs. Minnesota, TNT
• Tuesday, March 23: vs. Utah, ESPN+
• Sunday, April 4: at Minnesota, TNT
• Saturday, April 10: vs. Minnesota, ABC

* 2027 NHL Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium

Through two exhibition games, Joseph has noticed a trend in how both the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers attacked on first down against a Broncos team that led the NFL with a franchise-record 68 sacks and finished third in points per game allowed at 18.3 a year ago.

“Lots of (bootlegs), lots of misdirection, outside runs more often than not, max-protection passes, quick game,” Joseph said Tuesday after practice. “Teams don’t want to lose first down, because if they do lose first down, then our rush kind of comes alive. So I think that that game was an example of what is coming in the future.

“In two weeks, we’ve seen that kind of trend that way.”

It’s a pretty simple adjustment. Other NFL teams watched Denver’s pass rush terrorize quarterbacks, so there’s been a commitment — even in the preseason — by the Falcons and Packers to get creative on first down.

The numbers back up the opposition’s concern. Denver allowed a 36.76% success rate on first and second downs last season, , which was the lowest mark in the league.

“I think they’re trying to get 4 yards,” Joseph said when asked what he thinks those teams are thinking. “They don’t want to be in second-and-7 or 8-plus, because that����ap obviously a pass rush down. I thought last year we did a great job of basically playing third down twice.

“Third downs is where they practice their protection plans. They might slide to Nick (Bonitto) and chip (Jonathon Cooper). Second downs is where we made our hay, as far as the pass rush. I think teams understand that.”

The Broncos were effective at getting to the quarterback on all downs in 2025. But of Denver’s 12 sacks on second downs, 10 of them came in second-and-7 or longer. The more it looks like a passing down, the more Joseph can get creative with where and how his rushers can attack.

According to , the Broncos were a zone-heavy team in long-distance downs in 2025, but a man-heavy defense in short-to-gain situations. Joseph’s schemes can muddle the data, because his zone defense often comes with man-to-man principles. But, in general, a zone look at the snap can make it more confusing for the opposing quarterback and offensive line to diagnose where the pass-rush threats are coming from.

The Broncos also held opposing offenses to the worst third- and fourth-down success rate last year, per SumerSports, at 35.91%. There was little joy to be found, regardless of what down it was.

But Joseph and his staff have identified how they think opponents are going to try and change that this year. Long-down distances are death against this Broncos pass rush, so find a way to stay out of them and hope everything gets a little easier.

“We watched it over the summer and spring, just getting ready for how teams are going to play us,” Joseph said. “That����ap been a lesson for our guys the first two weeks.”

Attendance

Did not practice

Side field: CB Riley Moss, C Alex Forsyth, LB Drew Sanders
Not present: S Taylor Rapp, T Frank Crum

Limited

RB RJ Harvey and S Tycen Anderson both did some drills and spent part of practice on the side field.

Joe Sakic, back in the general manager role, wrapped up business for the 2025-26 season quickly in July. There were three key members of the organization entering the final year of their contracts then. All three — Cale Makar, Artturi Lehkonen and coach Jared Bednar — are still without extensions about three weeks before training camp begins.

Sakic, speaking Sunday ahead of the second annual Avalanche-University of Denver alumni game at Magness Arena, made it clear he is not concerned.

Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and co-face of the franchise alongside Nathan MacKinnon, is expected to sign the largest contract in franchise history.

Avalanche 2026-27 schedule: Best matchups, toughest stretches in NHL’s new 84-game slate

"Not really an update. We continue talking," Sakic said when asked about No. 8. "I'm pretty confident that he'll be signed before the season starts.

"I'm not worried about it. I don't think Cale is worried about it. The dialogue has been great. When there's an agreement, we'll be glad to announce it. Hopefully something will be done before the start of training camp."

Lehkonen has been a critical member of the club since arriving ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. The 31-year-old Lehkonen had 21 goals and 48 points in 70 games last season, but was injured during the second round of the 2026 playoffs and did not have his typical postseason impact after returning in the conference finals against Vegas.

Bednar is the most accomplished coach in franchise history, and is entering his 11th season at the helm. He's the second-longest tenured coach in the league, behind only Tampa Bay's Jon Cooper. There have been calls to fire Bednar from outside the organization after stunning postseason endings each of the past two seasons, but management and ownership have stood firm in its support of the coach both times.

"Everything's great," Sakic said of his relationship with Bednar. "Not worried about that. There's been coaches, been players that have entered the last year of their deals before, and there's going to be in the future. Not really concerned about that, and I don't think Jared is either.

Makar is entering the final season of a six-year, $54 million contract. His next deal could be worth twice as much per season or more. The financial environment in the NHL has been changing rapidly in recent seasons as the salary cap ceiling has experienced unprecedented spikes after years of post-COVID pandemic stagnation.

There is also a new collective bargaining agreement coming in the NHL, and one part matters for Makar and the Avs. The current maximum contract length is eight years to re-sign a player and seven to sign with a new club. That will change with the CBA, and the last day Makar and the Avs could agree to an eight-year pact is Sept. 15, one day before the new CBA begins.

"No, not really worried about (that deadline)," Sakic said. "I think when there's a deal announced or signed and agreed to, both sides will be comfortable with whatever term it is."

Makar and fellow defensive superstar Quinn Hughes are both expected to reset the market for elite defensemen. The top contract for a defenseman in 2026-27 will be Pittsburgh's Erik Karlsson with an $11.5 million cap hit. Former Avs defenseman Bo Byram has signed a new deal with Chicago that starts in 2027-28 that carries a $12.5 million cap hit.

Hughes and Makar are expected to blow past that. The landscape has changed, even since Byram's surprising mega deal was announced July 1. The Anaheim Ducks matched a five-year, $90 million offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson in early July, then the San Jose Sharks signed their franchise star Macklin Celebrini to a five-year, $94 million pact. At $18.8 million per season, Celebrini has the largest contract in league history on a per-year basis.

Whether or not Makar and/or Hughes top that remains to be seen.

"I think everybody's projecting where the cap is going, and that's why you're seeing these contracts at a certain level," Sakic said. "Everybody wants to lock up their young stars, and that's what is happening."

While camp is a few weeks away, the Avs' projected lineup looks pretty similar to the one that won the Presidents' Trophy with a franchise-record 121 points before the stunning conference finals sweep by the Golden Knights. Sakic and Co. re-signed defensemen Brent Burns and Brett Kulak, so the defense corps and goaltending will be the same.

There were changes up front, notably trades of Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury to provide some salary cap flexibility. Younger players will compete to replace Drury and Colton, while the Avs signed free agent Jaden Schwartz to a three-year, $9.75 million deal to fit somewhere among the top-nine forwards and ostensibly replace Nichushkin.

"We like the roster," Sakic said. "I think we have a good enough team to compete for the Stanley Cup. It's a long season. It's a process. Just got to try and get better every day. Obviously, there's some changes, but there's changes with every roster, every year. But we have the core here and it's a great core. They have a standard and we expect and assume that everyone's going to live up to that standard."

The Colorado Avalanche and best-selling author Rebecca Yarros announced that “Iron Flame” night will be Oct. 28 against the New Jersey Devils. “Iron Flame” is the second book in Yarros’ “Empyrean” series, a global phenomenon in the Romantasy genre.

Yarros, an avid hockey mom and Avs fan from Colorado Springs, will attend the event. This is the sequel to “Fourth Wing” night from last season.

The Avs made VIP ticket packages available for “Fourth Wing” night, which included a special jersey, a copy of the book, and a meet-and-greet with Yarros.

There were a little more than 2,500 tickets available. There were 30,000 people who tried to buy them the morning they went on sale, and they sold out in minutes.

“Iron Flame” night VIP ticket packages, which go on sale Aug. 7 at 10 a.m., will include an Avs-Iron Flame shirsey, a signed Avs-themed copy of the book and a Q&A with Yarros.

were already fans of Violet Sorrengail, Xaden Riorson and the rest of the cadets at Basgiath War College before “Fourth Wing” night.

“Iron Flame” night is one of for the 2026-27 season.

Merkulov, 25, has played in 11 NHL games, including one last season, for the Boston Bruins. The 5-foot-11, 174-pound forward had 24 goals and 61 points for the Providence Bruins in the AHL, and should be a key player for a rebuilt Colorado Eagles squad next year.

The Eagles reached the Western Conference Final of the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since joining the AHL in 2018, but six of the club’s top eight scorers from last season and coach Mark Letestu are no longer with the organization.

Merkulov spent one year at Ohio State before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Bruins in 2022. The Avs have also signed veteran forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Adam Beckman and traded for former first-round pick Fabian Lysell, who along with Merkulov could help replace forwards like Alex Barre-Boulet, T.J. Tynan and Ivan Ivan as impact players for the Eagles with the potential to earn NHL callups.

Jussi Ahokas, who helped the Kitchener Rangers win the Memorial Cup this past season, was hired Friday as the new coach of the Eagles, the Colorado Avalanche’s AHL affiliate. Ahokas, 45, is considered one of the top young coaches in the sport.

Ahokas, a native of Oulu, Finland, spent the past three years with the Rangers. He was the OHL coach of the year in 2024-25, then won both the league and the Memorial Cup in his third year.

Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys was a key member of Ahokas’ Kitchener teams for the past two seasons. Ahokas has also coached Juraj Slafkovsky, Miro Heiskanen and Kaapo Kakko at either the club or international level.

“Jussi has done a great job with every team and every league he’s been a part of as a head coach, and we’re excited to welcome him into the Avalanche and Eagles family,” Kevin McDonald, assistant general manager for the Avs and GM of the Eagles, said in a statement. “His track record of winning games in a variety of leagues and international tournaments is impressive, and he’ll be a great fit for our team in Loveland.”

Prior to coming to North America with Kitchener, Ahokas was a head coach for four seasons in Finland’s SM-Liiga. He spent two seasons each with KooKoo and TPS, leading the latter to a second-place finish in the 2022 Liiga playoffs. He also led Finland to gold medals at the 2019 IIHF world junior championship and the U-18 world championship in 2016.

Ahokas will be the fourth Eagles coach since the franchise moved up to the AHL and became the Avs’ affiliate. The first three — Greg Cronin, Aaron Schneekloth and Mark Letestu — have all left for NHL jobs. Letestu was in charge of the Eagles for one season, leading the club to the Western Conference Final before taking an assistant job with the Vegas Golden Knights last month.

Colorado will have back-to-back games just 10 times after the NHL released its schedule for next season on Thursday. Three of them are among the first 10 games and six are before Thanksgiving. The first 84-game slate since before the franchise moved to Denver from Quebec City gets a little less congested after that and includes a nearly week-long holiday break.

The Avs are the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, but will be trying to move past a shocking postseason exit for the second straight year after being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2026 Western Conference Final.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights from Colorado’s 2026-27 schedule:

Sept. 30 vs. Los Angeles — The Avs will welcome the Kings to Ball Arena to start the season. There will be a banner raising, if not the one fans were expecting after such a dominant 2025-26 season. Colorado swept Los Angeles in the opening round of the 2026 playoffs.

Oct. 10 vs. Toronto — Avs fans will get an early look at Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 selection in the 2026 NHL draft, when the Maple Leafs come to Denver.

Oct. 13 at Dallas, Oct. 14 vs. Dallas — Colorado will play four games against each of its seven Central Division neighbors. Half of the matchups with Mikko Rantanen and the Stars are a midweek back-to-back in Games No. 6 of 7 of the season. These two rivals also have back-to-back games on Jan. 22 and Jan. 24, with the latter at Ball Arena.

Oct. 16 vs. Pittsburgh — We’re running low on Nathan MacKinnon-Sidney Crosby matchups. The two friends will also see each other on Jan. 12 in Pittsburgh. This probably isn’t Crosby’s last trip to Denver, but it could be. Landon DuPount, the expected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NHL draft, will also be in town this weekend. Michigan plays the University of Denver at Magness Arena on Oct. 16 and 17.

Oct. 25 at Nashville, Nov. 5 vs. Nashville — A couple of early-season matchups with the Predators, who now include many more people with Avalanche ties. Chris MacFarland left to become Nashville’s president and general manager in June, and he traded for both Jack Drury and Ross Colton.

Nov. 27 at Minnesota — A Friday matinee the day after Thanksgiving, this will be the Avs’ only meeting with the Wild until March. Colorado and Minnesota will play three times in the final 13 contests of the season. The Avs handled Quinn Hughes and the Wild in five games during the second round of the 2026 playoffs.

Dec. 1-8 at Boston, Detroit, N.Y. Rangers, N.Y. Islanders, St. Louis — This is the longest road trip of the Avs’ season, and also the silliest one geographically. Boston to New York City is one of the shortest flights of the season, or a train ride. Instead, the Avs will go to Detroit in between. And then have a Long Island-St. Louis back-to-back that will be one of the longest in club history, though the game against the Islanders is in the afternoon, at least.

Dec. 12 vs. Washington — This is almost certainly the last time the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin, will be in Denver. It should be quite the farewell tour for Ovechkin this season, and the Capitals loaded up this summer to try and make it a memorable one. This game also kicks off the first of two five-game homestands.

Dec. 18 vs. Carolina — The fourth game of that homestand will feature the 2026 Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes and their lone trip to Denver.

Dec. 31 at Utah — The marquee game on the NHL’s calendar — the 2027 Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Avs have to play a home game on Dec. 29, but should get to practice at the football stadium the next day before the outdoor game on New Year’s Eve.

Jan. 2 at Vegas, Jan. 4 vs. Vegas — Going straight from the outdoor game to back-to-back tilts with the club that ended their dream season could be interesting. The Golden Knights will have a new coach and like the Avs had to do some salary cap gymnastics this summer, but they should be one of the top teams in the Western Conference again.

Feb. 15 vs. Columbus — The Avalanche will play Valeri Nichushkin and the Blue Jackets on Nov. 3, but this will be the first game back in Denver for him after being traded in June. Expect the memories of the 2022 championship run to be front and center that night, both in the tribute video and with Ball Arena’s reception.

March 5 at San Jose — This is the second of a three-game road trip, but it is also the day of the NHL’s trade deadline. For the second straight year, the Avs will play on that day.

March 9-17 vs. Philadelphia, N.Y. Rangers, Chicago, Edmonton, Minnesota — The second of two five-game homestands, this one is part of seven home games in an eight-game stretch. If the Avs need to make a late push, this might be the time to do it.

April 10 vs. Minnesota — The Avs will hope that Game No. 82 doesn’t have any postseason implications, but this would be a doozy of a season finale if it does. Colorado also finishes with six of its final nine games on the road, including a three-game trek to Minnesota, Vancouver and Calgary just before the finale.

With the NHL expanding the season to 84 games, adding two divisional games for each team, regular-season hockey will start earlier than usual. The league begins action on Sept. 29 with an opening-night tripleheader broadcast on ESPN.

The Avalanche will open the following night as part of a TNT doubleheader, featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Philadelphia Flyers at 5:30 p.m. MT and the Kings visiting the Avalanche for the nightcap at 8 p.m. MT.

The complete 2026-27 NHL regular-season schedule is set to be announced on Thursday at 11 a.m. MT.

The Avs opened last season against the Kings in Los Angeles on Oct. 7. Colorado, which swept the Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, was swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference final, a bitter end to a season for a franchise that was the NHL’s best during the regular season.

The NHL has also set the date for the Avs’ Winter Classic showdown against Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The two budding rivals will face off at 4 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve.

It will be the 18th iteration of the Winter Classic and the first appearance for the Avs.

The game will be the 47th NHL regular-season outdoor game and the first for Utah, which is the only franchise that has yet to appear in an outdoor game. The NHL expects a crowd of over 50,000 for the 2027 Winter Classic; Rice-Eccles Stadium holds 51,444.