Massachusetts Professional Athletes

Cale Makar just made every other NHL contract look small.

The Colorado Avalanche locked up their defenseman on Friday with an eight-year, $163.2 million extension — the richest deal in NHL history — making the UMass Amherst alum the first player in league history to earn $20 million per season. The $20.4 million AAV doesn't just set a record; it redraws the entire map of what elite defensemen can expect to earn going forward.

Makar was taken fourth overall by Colorado in the 2017 draft out of Amherst, and his ascent since has been relentless. He's collected a Calder Trophy, two Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Stanley Cup ring — a trophy haul that made his re-signing less a question of whether and more a question of how much. Now the hockey world has its answer.

The deal surpasses the previous record — an eight-year, $136 million extension signed by Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov last September — by more than $27 million, a jaw-dropping leap that signals Colorado isn't merely retaining a cornerstone player. They're making a statement about where the franchise is headed. "I couldn't be more excited to continue my journey here with the Avalanche in this amazing city of Denver," Makar said in a video posted by the team, calling it a historic day.

The ripple effects are already being felt across the league. San Jose's Macklin Celebrini, who had briefly held the title of highest-paid player after signing his own massive extension roughly a month earlier, was almost immediately overtaken. And with Quinn Hughes still awaiting his own extension, teams around the NHL are recalibrating their defenseman valuations in real time.

For UMass fans, the moment carries particular weight. Makar's time in Amherst was brief — one standout season before the draft — but his trajectory from college blue-liner to the most expensive player in the history of professional hockey is a testament to what the program can produce at the highest level. Massachusetts hockey has quietly become one of the more productive pipelines into the NHL, with 17 active alumni currently rostered across the league, from Mitchell Chaffee on Long Island to Jonathan Quick in New York to Brandon Montour in Seattle. None, however, have redefined the sport quite like the kid who left Amherst nine years ago and just reset every financial benchmark the NHL had ever set.

Friday, August 28, 2026, belongs to Cale Makar. And to UMass.

UMass Alumni Report: NHL | Aug. 16–22, 2026

Morrow Secures His Spot in New York

Scott Morrow's path from UMass to Madison Square Garden just got a little more permanent. The Rangers re-signed the defenseman to a one-year contract extension this week, cementing his place on New York's blue line heading into the 2026–27 season.

The move is a clear vote of confidence from the Rangers organization. Morrow, a right-shot defenseman, has been working his way into a full-time NHL role since leaving Amherst, and this extension signals the Rangers see him as a genuine piece of their defensive structure — not a depth gamble. New York's back end has been a priority area for the front office, and bringing Morrow back adds proven organizational familiarity to the mix.

For UMass fans, it's another data point in a remarkable run of defensive talent the program has produced. Morrow joins a Rangers squad that also features fellow Minuteman Jonathan Quick in net, giving UMass a two-player presence on one of the league's marquee rosters.

Makar Still the Benchmark

Meanwhile, in Colorado, Cale Makar is doing what Cale Makar does: processing, refocusing, and raising expectations. The Avalanche star opened up this week about Colorado's tough playoff exit and what the team is building toward in 2026–27. Makar expressed belief that the Avalanche can grow from the painful postseason loss as the organization reshapes its roster for another Stanley Cup push.

It's a familiar posture for the UMass product who has become the standard-bearer for what the program can produce at the NHL level. Makar's willingness to publicly engage with the team's shortcomings — rather than deflect — reflects the same competitive accountability that has made him one of the game's elite defensemen. Colorado enters the new season with a retooled supporting cast, and Makar remains the gravitational center of everything they do.

The Bigger Picture

Two UMass defensemen. Two different stages of their NHL arc. Morrow is earning his footing; Makar is chasing a championship. But both stories trace back to the same program in Amherst, which continues to function as one of college hockey's most reliable pipelines to the professional game.

With 17 active alumni across the league — from Frank Vatrano in Anaheim to Brandon Montour in Seattle — the Minutemen's fingerprints are all over the NHL map. This week just happened to put the spotlight where it arguably shines brightest: on the blue line.