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The Utah Mammoth are fresh off a surprisingly successful inaugural season in Salt Lake City. They were in Wild Card contention late in the season and got a solid crowd for most of their games. Now, with their new name in tow, the Mammoth are heading into NHL free agency. The Athletic's James Mirtle was at the NHL Combine and heard that Utah could be in on Mitch Marner and Nikolaj Ehlers this summer.
“Their young core up front is only going to get better, but supporting [Clayton] Keller with better veteran depth will be priority No. 1, especially considering they seem set in goal and, if healthier than this past season, on defense too. The Mammoth have 21 NHL players signed (11 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goalies) and more than $20 million in cap space, so don’t be surprised if they’re in big on Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers and/or any trade targets who can put the puck in the net.”
For their entire existence, the Arizona Coyotes lacked a superstar. Shane Doan became a franchise icon, Keith Tkachuk scored a lot, and they developed a few solid young players. But outside of one Western Conference Final with Doan, they never made a lot of noise. The Mammoth have to solve that problem early in their existence, even with the cupboard of young talent Arizona left them.
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While the Mammoth will have over $20 million to spend, they may not spend it all this summer. Nick Schmaltz, Matias Maccelli, and Barret Hayton are all entering the final year of their respective contracts. Even with the salary cap exploding over the next three years, Utah has to budget for keeping its young stars.
The Mammoth have already signed Karel Vejmelka, Olli Maatta, and Ian Cole for the 2025-26 season. Could they add their first superstar in free agency?
