The Utah Mammoth had an eventful second summer in their NHL journey, making significant progress to position the team as a playoff contender. General manager Bill Armstrong made minor adjustments last summer, but this summer he took a bold step. He balanced that gamble with well-planned extensions and depth moves, demonstrating a clear plan to follow. Armstrong and the Mammoth seem ready to build around their talented young core by adding experienced veterans, aiming for long-term success.
The Mammoth made a statement in late June by acquiring JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres and signing him to a five-year, $38.5MM extension. Armstrong and his team paid a fair price for the young forward, but they are confident that Peterka’s skill, speed, and two-way play will make him a good fit alongside Utah’s promising forward core, which includes Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and Clayton Keller. The move to acquire Peterka demonstrated to Mammoth fans that the team is aiming to contend sooner rather than later in the Western Conference.
At 23 years of age, and coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons, Buffalo was never going to let Peterka go cheap, especially given the intangibles he brings to couple with the offense he produces. Peterka is not only relentless on the forecheck, but he can tilt the ice for the Mammoth along with their other top young forwards. The $ 7.7MM AAV is pretty reasonable for what Peterka can produce going forward, but Utah will be happy to pay it, given that he could be a bargain over the next few seasons.
Shortly after finalizing the Peterka deal, the Mammoth executed another trade involving a young player, this time sending Matias Maccelli to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a conditional third-round pick in 2027. The trade is a risk for both teams, as Maccelli is only a year removed from scoring 57 points in 82 games. However, he managed just 18 points this past season in 55 games, as his offense dipped significantly, and Toronto hopes he can rebound to fill the gap left when Mitch Marner departed. Maccelli could regain his form in Toronto, and if he does, it may appear to be a costly miss for Utah. But if his stats are similar to last season, it will have been a practical move to shed a smaller player who doesn’t play much of a physical game, and the outcome of this trade remains uncertain.
Utah might have missed the playoffs last season, but that didn’t stop them from re-signing many of their pending free agents, including forward Alex Kerfoot and defensemen Ian Cole and Olli Määttä. Utah also signed goaltender Karel Vejmelka and centre Jack McBain to five-year contract extensions. McBain’s deal provides the Mammoth with some cost certainty on a physical centre who is a good forechecker and can handle tough matchups. He won’t score many goals and isn’t overly talented with the puck, but Utah believed his other qualities justified the $21.25MM over five years.
Vejmelka’s NHL stats aren’t anything extraordinary. He has maintained a .899 SV% over his career and has a record of 70-97-19 with a 3.22 goals-against average. However, last season, the 29-year-old recorded 14.2 goals saved above expected in 58 games (as per MoneyPuck). Vejmelka isn’t among the top goaltenders in the league, but should give the Mammoth league-average goaltending (or better) for a very reasonable $4.75MM per season. Considering that Vancouver re-signed the perfectly average Kevin Lankinen to a five-year deal at $4.5MM annually, Utah secured a solid agreement for Vejmelka.
The Mammoth also addressed their goaltending depth this summer by signing Vitek Vaneček to a one-year contract worth $ 1.5MM. Vaneček recently won a Stanley Cup as a backup for the Florida Panthers and should give the Mammoth a reliable veteran presence behind Vejmelka. Stability in goal for Utah will be essential this season as they aim to climb the standings into a playoff spot. The 29-year-old is coming off two inconsistent seasons and hopes to re-establish himself with the Mammoth this year. His numbers with San Jose and Florida last season weren’t impressive, but despite the recent lack of success, Vaneček is only two years removed from posting a .911 save % in 52 games with New Jersey.
The Mammoth are still in the early stages of establishing themselves in Utah, but are trending in the right direction by being cautious with their depth players and aggressive in adding to their top six. Looking at the bigger picture, Utah has made significant progress over the past year and should be in the playoff hunt this season. Some might see their summer moves as patchwork or a mixed bag, but they clearly identified a need at forward and were pleased with what they saw in their veteran defensemen.
Utah has plenty of potential star power at the top of their lineup, has stabilized the middle of the ice, boasts a lot of experience on their blueline, and should receive decent goaltending this season. I wouldn’t call the team a Stanley Cup contender, but with some internal improvement and average goaltending, they will be in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture.
Photo by Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Good young forward group and good tandem in goal. I think they need one more top 4 defender to take some pressure off of Super-chef.
But, Iginla, Simashev, And Lamoureux may all be Instrumental in the Mammoths quest to make the playoffs this season.
Paterka showed signs of being a decent, defensively aware player two years ago but last year not so much. Wouldn’t put him in the “two way play” catagory .
There is no path this year. They’ve accepted mediocrity.