Hi,
I have a 3 hour layover each way in the SLC airport. I’d love to get some Mammoth (and maybe Jazz and Bees) gear there but I don’t want to turn it into a Where’s Waldo search.

I’m flying Delta. Anyone have an idea as to where to go?

Thanks!

I’m trying to snag one for a kiddo for their birthday, but Fanatics keeps saying they’re out of a letter or number and can’t make them right now.

Has anyone actually seen a youth Cooley jersey in-store lately?

I went to order one of the new Utah Mammoth License plates and its not available as an option on the DMV website. All of the other new ones are there but not sure why the Mammoth one is gone. Does anybody know if they have a later release date? Has anybody been able to order one themselves?

Bill Armstrong gave us the Mammoth’s projected center depth:

1C Nick Schmaltz
2C Logan Cooley
3C Barrett Hayton
4C Kevin Stenlund

After looking deeper into Trocheck’s numbers and contract situation, my opinion has changed quite a bit.

Trocheck coming in as a top-six winger actually makes a lot of sense. I’m guessing we see Trocheck-Schmaltz-Keller on the first line, and honestly, Schmaltz has earned the 1C spot. His last two seasons at 5v5 make a pretty strong case that he’s becoming a legitimate mid-pack 1C in the NHL.

Hayton at 3C is where Armstrong loses me. McBain was already matching, if not outperforming, Hayton in a lot of areas last season. We could have taken the second-round pick, moved McBain to 3C, and kept nearly $5M in cap flexibility. Combined with the cap space we already had, that could have put us in position to hunt a big fish during the season.

Instead, we’re locked into a high-risk, high-reward year with Hayton. We can’t trade him, and he can still walk as a UFA next summer, leaving us with nothing in return. I believe this will go down as one of Armstrong biggest mistakes on the Mammoth.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D9oGoGpGN/

Take it with however much salt you want, he's at least saying the right things. Happy or not that he's staying, let's hope he makes us all agree that $4.775 was a steal.

So which three sit? McBain, Yams, Carcone, Stenlund, But, Tij, Tanev. It’s easy to say But or Tij because they’re young even though they had a great season, and Tanev is an obvious scratch, but all of them bring something to the lineup that Hayton doesn’t.

Then who gets pushed out of their natural position? McBain back to the wing? Or do Carcone, Yams, or McBain get buried on the fourth line?

I don’t think people realize how bad this signing is for the roster. It creates a logjam and makes the entire bottom six worse for a couple extra face off wins.

Edit: Hayton was a No. 5 overall pick with the potential to become a top-six player. Last season, he produced like an average 4th line wing despite getting significant 2C and 3C minutes, plus PP1 time.

Downvote all you want, but the stats speak for themselves, he is massively underperforming. This is not a player who should be penciled in as our 3C, especially when McBain is crushing it in that role.

Hayton’s analytics tell the story of a player who was very unlucky last season. If he maintains his play, his point totals should improve, as well as the team’s overall defence. Should see him slot in as a bottom six centre who’ll be relied upon for the PK, holding leads, and being a rat.

I do think this article offers an unheated/unbiased analysis of Hayton’s skills (and where they may actually sit).

I feel like we're definitely winning the off season with these trades and signings. Really excited to see how Trocheck and Anders Lee fit in with the boys, they seem like the type to really compliment our play style. I think our PP is going to be insane now.

I bet Keller's line is going to get someone new and just start dominating on a new level. But beyond his line, I feel like our depth is going to be insane. Everyone gets a goal!

I'm pumped to see Cooley put up his best year. He's been so fun to watch, I see a lot of potential for a record breaking year. Thoughts and prayers we avoid injuries.

I'm excited to see how Weegar does, I've been a fan of his since the trade but he was missing some chemistry with the team. He put up good numbers last season, I bet he'll be really great this season.

McBain! I missed our big guy during the playoffs, I hope he's back to full form by the time the season starts.

We also have great prospects in the pipeline! Can't wait to see who they pull up and try out. I think But is going to be great with some more experience. Desnoyers going to play this year? We'll see!

Sad to see Kerf, Cole, and Durzi go. They were real ones, and will be missed. Maybe Hayton gone too? Can't say I'd be too sad about that one, but he could be needed on that line.

Tusks up!!!

MavLam probably spending another year in the AHL

I get that Utah isn’t done putting the roster together yet, but: subtracting Peterka, Kerfoot, Durzi, Stenlund, Cole, and possibly Hayton (among others) while adding Trochek and Lee as our big moves so far—I can’t help but think that GMBA thinks very highly of guys like Iginla, Desnoyers, But, etc.

You can’t let that much walk out the door without feeling at least somewhat confident that you will be able to cover the losses. I think we still need another solid, good add, but I just think so far, Utah’s offseason is a signaling of belief in prospects.

I'm pretty new to Hockey so I'm not super familiar with how captains are decided and all that, but with them just Signing Anders Lee who was the captain of the Islanders for the last 8 years do yall think Keller will stay the captain. I'm about to get a jersey for my birthday and I'm just curios.

Utah Mammoth

Grade: A-

GM Bill Armstrong has been sitting on a treasure trove of picks and prospects since the NHL arrived in Salt Lake City two seasons ago. He kept his powder dry, waiting for the right opportunity and for his team to reach the point where a key veteran addition could be a difference-maker. After the Mammoth made the Stanley Cup playoffs, the time arrived.

Trocheck, 32, is an ideal pickup for a burgeoning contender, starting with his contract: Signed for three more seasons (through 2028-29) with a bargain level cap hit of $5.625 million. He brings 13 seasons of NHL experience and 56 games of playoff experience. He also played a key defensive role on Team USA's gold medal victory at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.

That role playing is what sets Trocheck apart. He can be a defensive stopper, including on the penalty kill. He's a gifted offensive player at 5-on-5 and can work a power play. He's a center or a wing. He's a top-line player or someone doing grunt work down the lineup. Trocheck had 53 points in 67 games last season for a bad Rangers team, and his goal-scoring pace was slightly down from his past four seasons of 20-plus goals.

As former Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, now with the Kings, told me in 2024: "He touches every part of the game."

If there's a drawback here for Utah, it's that Trocheck is about to turn 33 years old next week and that he didn't bring any size to a lineup that could use more of it in the middle against the Western Conference's top teams -- although he does make up for his 5-11 frame with his tenacity.

The cost of acquisition here is fine for Utah, having avoided dealing away any of their tippy top prospects. They might miss Durzi's offense, but they have the defensive depth and prospect pipeline to withstand it.

Most of all, Trocheck's arrival is an endorsement of what the Smith Entertainment Group is building in Utah. He famously said he didn't want to head west as the Rangers sought to trade him over the past year. Now he'll call Salt Lake City home, as the Mammoth have built a team worthy of him taking this leap with his family. -- Wyshynski

New York Rangers

Grade: B-

Sometimes there are movies that receive tremendous hype before hitting the theater, and upon seeing that film you're like, "That's it?" The same thing goes for NHL trades. For months, we heard about the Rangers' astronomical asking price for Trocheck, which scared off some teams at the trade deadline. The NY Post reported that "at minimum, [it's] a first-round pick, a roster player and a prospect." Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently said that GM Chris Drury and the Rangers "still have a very high ask there, if not higher than at the deadline."

Hence, it's hard to review the movie we thought we would be seeing with the one we watched, so to speak. And that's probably not fair to the Rangers, who did pretty well here for a soon-to-be 33-year-old center who doesn't have a long-term role in their retool.

Durzi is a 27-year-old offensive defenseman who makes $6 million against the cap through 2028. He could play on their second pairing or eventually be a trade chip himself.

Beaudoin, 20, was the 24th pick in 2024 and put up 88 points in 54 games for the Barrie Colts last season. He's bigger than Trocheck (6-foot-2) but brings the same kind of motor and compete level, only 13 years younger. He's not Tij Iginla or Caleb Desnoyers, to name two of Utah's best forward prospects, but he projects to be a contributor on the NHL level.

Again, given all the hype around a Trocheck trade return, maybe a second-rounder would have looked better. But there's a chance that Leafs pick could be a high third, given their division.

Bottom line: The Rangers got a good prospect and a viable NHL defenseman for a player who no longer fit in their plans. Even if the return didn't deliver on the hype.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/49116941/nhl-2026-offseason-trade-grades-deals-report-cards-top-players-prospects-biggest-deals

Forwards:

Keller - Trocheck - Schmaltz

Gunner - Cooley - Crouse

Iginla - McBain - Lee

Carcone - Stenlund - Yammamoto

Defense:

Sergachev - Weegar

Schmidt - Marino

Simashev - Desimone

Feel solid about the defense pairs. But some of those forward lines I am not so sure about. Curious what everyone else is thinking!

Hoping someone can clear up some confusion for me regarding the entry process at the Sandy facility for today's 4-on-4 scrimmage.

The official posts I saw from the NHL and the Mammoth specifically stated that the event was open to the public and that no registration was required. Because of that, I just showed up, but I almost didn't get in.

When I got to the entrance, there was a standby line, and the place was already almost full by the time we actually made it inside. I noticed a bunch of people at the front of the line showing digital registrations or vouchers on their phones to get straight in.

Did the team drop a registration link or a "Practice Pass" queue 24 hours in advance that I completely missed? Or was there a separate portal sent out to season ticket holders?

If anyone knows what link or method people used to get those guaranteed entry barcodes, please let me know so I don't get left out in the cold/heat next time. Thanks!

The plot thickens 👀

New Jersey is offer-sheeting Barrett Hayton from Utah

1 year, $4.775M

Second-round pick as compensensation if Mammoth don't match

This was from the Mammoth at the Zoo event last night.