NHL rumblings: Could Cale Makar get $20 million? Plus, latest on Kucherov, Carlson, more.

NHL defenseman Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche becomes eligible for a contract extension on July 1, as he enters the final year of his six-year, $54 million deal signed in 2021. Reports suggest Makar, considered the top defenseman in the world at age 27, could command as much as $20 million per year on his next contract. Other stars including Nikita Kucherov and Quinn Hughes are also eligible for extensions on the same date.