The MacKenzie Weegar era with the Calgary Flames, which began with a stunning blockbuster trade in the summer of 2022 from the Florida Panthers, officially came to a close this week when he was traded from the Flames to the Utah Mammoth.
In return for Weegar, the Mammoth sent defenseman Olli Maatta, forward prospect Jonathan Castagna, and three second-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, two of which were previously acquired from the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators, back to the Flames.
It's another demonstration on the part of the Mammoth and general manager Bill Armstrong that they are serious about making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for what would be the first time since 2020, when they were known as the Arizona Coyotes.
“It’s a great trade in the sense of adding another great D-man to an already pretty strong defensive core back there,” Armstrong said shortly after the trade was finalized via NHL.com. “He brings a wealth of experience. I think what we love about him is his ability to move the puck. He’s a gamer. Someone that shows up every night, plays a physical brand of hockey. Not the biggest D-man in the world, but he’s got a great brain. When you have a D-man like him that can move the puck back there, it creates offense to your forwards. They can get the puck in motion and can attack and we’re a pretty fast team now so this adds another defenseman to our lineup that’s going to make an impact.”
The Mammoth gain experienced defenseman with offensive upside
Weegar, who was a 2013 seventh-round selection (206th overall) of the Florida Panthers, was acquired by the Flames in the blockbuster 2022 deal that also sent Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt, and a 2025 first-round pick to Calgary in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk.
Since then, Tkachuk and the Panthers have gone to three straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final, winning the most recent two. Meanwhile, the Flames have yet to play beyond the 82nd game of the regular season. However, Weegar has been one of the most consistent offensive performers on Calgary's blue line. The 2023-24 NHL season was his best, tallying 20 goals for the first time in his career while adding 32 assists. He followed that up by scoring eight goals with 39 assists the following season.
While he has only scored three goals while adding 18 assists this season, Weegar has averaged nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game.
The excitement felt by the Mammoth organization is already palpable, led by head coach Andre Tourigny.
“Obviously, really excited,” Tourigny said Thursday via NHL.com. “I coached ‘Weegs' (at the 2024 World Championship), I know Weegs. Great guy. Old school, heart and soul warrior, moves the puck really well. Has a good shot. Everything he does, he does it quick. Happy. He's a good veteran. … We won the World Championship together, won a gold medal together. Heart and soul player, you won't find anybody who says a bad thing about this guy. He's a warrior every day.”
“He’s got a great work ethic,” Armstrong said. “Doing a lot of homework on him. His teammates spoke very highly of him, his former teammates, what he does in the dressing room, leads by example. He’s got a little bit of fight in him too, which we like. He wants to win, he wants to push this club to the next level. We’ll be excited when he arrives and actually gets in the lineup.”
Weegar, who was signed to a multi-year extension by the Flames shortly after his 2022 acquisition, is signed through 2031; his contract carries a cap hit of $6.25 million.
Final Grades for the Mammoth, Flames
Mammoth: A
The Mammoth get the top grade in this deal for Weegar, adding a proven commodity for their club, a youth-based roster that has shown tremendous promise and has already endeared themselves to the Salt Lake City community in their one and a half seasons since relocating from Arizona.
Weegar not only provides veteran leadership, but also eats up big minutes and can play in all situations. He'll be key for the Mammoth in their stretch drive toward what they hope will be their first playoff berth in years.
Flames: A-
The Flames are a team going nowhere fast, and are also likely to shed other veteran assets prior to Friday afternoon's 3:00 p.m. ET deadline. GM Craig Conroy has his eyes on the future, and not only shed some salary cap space but also picked up a young prospect and multiple draft selections in return for Weegar.
Meanwhile, Maatta remains a serviceable defenseman with a modest $3.5 million cap hit.
