Late last week, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period released his list of major talking points heading into the offseason. One of the more interesting reports was that the Utah Mammoth are open to moving the fourth-overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft.
It’s understandable from the Mammoth’s perspective. They’re a team that is planning on contending for a playoff position in the 2025-26 season, and there won’t be a player available at fourth overall to help them achieve that goal. In his report, Pagnotta shares that they’d be looking for a young, top-six, proven forward.
The idea is similar to the nixed trade that would have sent a package including Martin Nečas to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the fourth overall pick in last summer’s draft. The deal didn’t happen, but the Blue Jackets weren’t as interested in trading the draft pick as the Mammoth appear to be.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Earlier today, Winnipeg Jets forward Rasmus Kupari signed a two-year deal with the NL’s HC Lugano. If the Jets issue Kupari a qualifying offer before the June 30th deadline, they’ll retain his signing rights through the 2026-27 season, which Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press expects them to do. Although Kupari’s recent deal had an AAV of $1MM, the Jets will have to issue a $1.1MM qualifying offer to Kupari this summer, given the backloaded nature of his salary.
- According to Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal, Matthew Desiderio is expected to join the Jets for their development camp. Desiderio has already committed to Brown University for the 2025-26 NCAA season. He’s coming off a solid year with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, scoring 14 goals and 38 points in 62 games.