The Utah Mammoth had an active offseason. Firstly, they have a name now, dumping Utah Hockey Club in favor of the new moniker. And then, they made a trade for former Sabres forward JJ Peterka and signed him to an extension. But the Mammoth should have done more to improve their offense through a trade for either Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Mammoth did more than just the Peterka trade this offseason. They had already extended Sean Durzi, Olli Matta, and Karel Vajelmka at the trade deadline. In the summer, they signed Nate Schmidt and Vitek Vanecek from the Florida Panthers to bring veteran experience to the locker room. They were also interested in Brad Marchand, but he remained with the Panthers.
The Mammoth have a lot of left-handed forwards, including Peterka. While balance is not the most important thing for forward units, they should be looking to add a right-handed winger. Both Rust and Rakell are right-handed and have the veteran experience that Utah is looking for.
The Penguins are headed for a deep rebuild as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's careers wind down. They should be traded before the trade deadline so Pittsburgh gets more ping pong balls in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes. The Mammoth would also be sending over picks and prospects to help the Penguins rebuild their roster.
The Mammoth have 20 total picks between the 2026 and 2027 drafts. That alone makes them a great candidate to make a trade. In the Peterka deal, they sent defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan to the Sabres. That means they still have the picks and prospects to deal. But if the Penguins want NHL-ready players, Utah may not be the right trade partner.
The Mammoth have a young, dynamic forward unit
When they left Arizona, the Coyotes were finally building for the future. Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, and Clayton Keller all made their debuts with the Coyotes. Keller was given an extension to stay in Arizona, but the team didn't stay there and moved before last season.
The Mammoth have made big trades in both of their offseasons so far. They picked up Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning to bolster their blue line before ever playing a game. John Marino also came in during the offseason, but Sergachev was the headliner. When they were retooling the blue line, they made two deals. But when the forward unit was under construction, it was just one deal.
The Mammoth could have traded for either Rust or Rakell and still been under the salary cap ceiling of $92.5 million. They would not have been missing much from their draft pick surplus, and added more scoring. That is exactly what they need to compete in a deep Western Conference.
Rakell is under contract for three more seasons at $5 million per year. He scored a career-high 35 goals and chased it with a career-high 35 assists for last year's dreadful Penguins team. After a run with the Anaheim Ducks, he was traded to the Penguins at the 2022 trade deadline. His 10-team no-trade list could make the deal complicated.
Rust is due $5.125 million for three seasons, but has no trade protection. He was a key piece to two Stanley Cup championships in Pittsburgh and also had a career-high in goals, assists, and points in 2024-25. The Penguins should have been looking to trade both of these players this offseason, as their 2025-26 seasons are unlikely to be as good.
The Mammoth should have made another big trade to improve their forward unit. If they are going to compete, they will need to spend to the cap ceiling.
