"He earns everything he gets": Cale Makar makes feelings known after $100,800,000 Avs teammate joins Connor McDavid and Wayne Gretzky’s elite company

Cale Makar spoke about Nathan MacKinnon's achievement after Colorado’s 3-2 shootout loss to Calgary. MacKinnon reached 110 points for the third straight season, joining Connor McDavid and Wayne Gretzky as the only players in history to do so.

In a post-game interview in the locker room on Monday, Makar praised MacKinnon's work ethic amid his latest feat.

"Yeah, it's pretty incredible to see how much work he puts in, year in, year out. And he earns everything he gets. So yeah, hopefully he continues going," Cale Makar said.

MacKinnon is signed to an eight-year, $100.8 million contract, with a cap hit of $12.6 million per season.

MacKinnon’s consistency has also helped the Avalanche. His home point streak reached 25 games, showing how reliable he is. He assisted on Makar’s goal in the first period, but Colorado lost their 2-0 lead. Calgary tied the game in the third period and won in a shootout.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was not happy with the team’s effort, though. He said they struggled defensively and had trouble scoring. Makar’s goal and MacKinnon’s assist were not enough to secure the win. The loss put Colorado further behind Dallas in the Central Division standings.

“I didn't think we played very well tonight. I didn't love our effort at times,” Bednar said (via NHL.com). “I didn’t like the defending detail at times during the game, and then we had trouble putting the puck in the net a little bit again tonight. So, not real pleased with the way we played tonight."

Cale Makar's brother signs with the Colorado Avalanche

On Monday, the Colorado Avalanche announced the signing of Cale Marak's younger brother Taylor to a one-year, entry-level contract through the 2025-26 season. He will play for the Colorado Eagles (AHL) on an Amateur Tryout (ATO) for the rest of 2024-25.

Makar had a strong season at the University of Maine and has scored 30 points in 38 games. He set career highs with 18 goals and 12 assists. His six game-winning goals led the team. Makar also had an eight-point streak over six games from January to February 2025. On February 28, he scored a hat trick.

Before Maine, Makar played three seasons at UMass-Amherst. He also scored 22 points in 85 games. In his final season, he even led the team with 10 goals. Over his entire college career, Makar finished with 52 points in 123 games.