Massachusetts Professional Athletes

Makar Puts on a Clinic in Colorado's Blowout

Cale Makar was the best player on the ice Thursday night, and it wasn't particularly close.

The UMass product scored twice and added an assist as the Colorado Avalanche dismantled the winless Calgary Flames 7-3, giving him a three-point night that underscored exactly why he remains the standard by which NHL defensemen are measured. Devon Toews and Jaden Schwartz each added a pair of goals, and Nathan MacKinnon chipped in a goal and two assists — but Makar's fingerprints were everywhere in a performance that served notice to the rest of the Western Conference.

The win moved Colorado to 3-1-0 on the young season, a bounce-back effort after a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg the night before. Notably, it also came against a Flames team that featured UMass alum Joel Hanley on the blue line — though Thursday belonged squarely to his former college teammate on the other bench.

Makar's contract situation adds a layer of intrigue to his early dominance. Per Sports Illustrated, extending Makar before the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in was Colorado's most pressing offseason priority heading into 2026-27. These kinds of performances don't make that negotiation any cheaper.

Two days later, Makar added another assist — his fourth point in two games — in a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, finishing at minus-1 in a game Colorado couldn't contain.

Quick Comeback Rumors Heat Up in New York

On a very different note, UMass alum Jonathan Quick is suddenly relevant again — not because of anything he's done on the ice, but because the Rangers may desperately need him off it.

New York lost franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin to a season-ending injury Friday against Washington, and reports from Heavy Sports indicate that Quick's name has come up as a potential emergency option, with a retirement-return scenario being floated. Dylan Garand is currently slated as the near-term starter, but the Rangers' brass faces real pressure to find a veteran solution. Quick, a Stanley Cup champion and former Vezina finalist, is listed on the UMass alumni roster with New York — making this one worth monitoring as the week progresses.

Montour Quietly Building Early

Brandon Montour, the UMass-trained defenseman now with the Seattle Kraken, had himself a night Friday, picking up two assists and a plus-2 rating in Seattle's 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Montour's offensive instincts from the blue line have always been his calling card, and this was a clean example of it — both helpers in a lopsided victory that Seattle needed after a rocky early stretch.

Meanwhile, Matt Murray — the goaltender, not the politician — made 18 saves for the Nashville Predators on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to Ottawa, posting a .900 save percentage in a recall stint after Justus Annunen was placed on injured reserve. Murray, back with Nashville from the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals, kept the Predators competitive but couldn't steal the points.

And in Calgary, forward Aydar Suniev was recalled from the AHL's Calgary Wranglers during the week, giving him a shot at NHL minutes — though the Flames, sitting winless, have larger problems to solve than any one call-up can fix.

The UMass alumni footprint across the NHL remains remarkably wide. This week, Makar was the headliner. He usually is.

Ryan Ufko Gets His Moment — Then Heads Back Down

For one night, Ryan Ufko looked like he belonged.

The UMass product made the Nashville Predators' opening-night roster and skated alongside captain Roman Josi on the blue line when Nashville hosted the Minnesota Wild. Ufko logged 15:27 of ice time in his first season opener with the club — a meaningful audition for a 23-year-old defenseman trying to carve out an NHL foothold.

The grade: a minus-one. Respectable enough for a young blueliner thrown into the deep end, but not enough to hold his spot. On Friday morning, General Manager Chris MacFarland announced Ufko had been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Head Coach Andrew Brunette shuffled his defensive pairings after practice, and Ufko was the odd man out.

The demotion stings, but the arc here is worth watching. Making an NHL opening-night roster at 23, skating with one of the game's elite defensemen in Josi, and getting real minutes against a playoff-caliber opponent — that's not nothing. For UMass fans, Ufko's trajectory remains firmly pointed upward.

Meanwhile, Another Minuteman Skated Through Nashville

Also in the Predators' orbit this week: goaltender Matt Murray, who was recalled from Milwaukee ahead of Nashville's second game against the Dallas Stars. Murray — a UMass alumnus now deep in journeyman territory — was called up after backup Justus Annunen missed practice Friday. Juuse Saros ultimately got the start, but Murray's recall kept him in the NHL picture for at least a moment.

Cale Makar Does Something That's Never Been Done

While Ufko was navigating his brief NHL stint, Colorado's Cale Makar was busy rewriting the record books — as he tends to do.

The Avalanche defenseman recorded two assists in an 8-4 demolition of the Los Angeles Kings, and in doing so accomplished something no defenseman in NHL history had ever done before. Sports Illustrated flagged the milestone without spelling out the precise threshold, but the broader point is this: Makar continues to exist in a statistical category entirely his own. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice, Artturi Lehkonen added a pair as well, and Makar quietly made history from the blue line.

For UMass, Makar is the standard. Every Minuteman defenseman — Ufko included — is ultimately measured against what he built in Amherst before becoming the best defenseman in the world.

Around the League

One more UMass name worth noting: winger Conor Sheary, who played 62 games for the New York Rangers last season, was waived by the Buffalo Sabres as they finalized their opening roster. It's a quiet moment for a veteran who's carved out a long NHL career — but the waivers wire is unforgiving regardless of résumé.

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The week painted a clear picture of the UMass NHL contingent in 2026: Makar ascending into legend, Ufko knocking on the door, and a handful of veterans fighting to stay relevant. The Minutemen pipeline is real — the gap between rungs, as always, is the challenge.