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The Utah Mammoth have settled on their brand identity after going as the Utah Hockey Club during the 2024-25 season. And the name is quite fitting, given how the team hopes to operate this summer. Utah is hoping to make some Mammoth moves in order to accelerate their rebuilding process. This offseason is shaping up to be a crucial one for Utah.
Overall, it was a fine season for the Hockey Club. This team put in a charge for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They fell short of the Wild Card as they finished with 89 points in 2024-25. However, they have one of the more promising young cores in the league. The future is certainly bright in Salt Lake City.
In saying all of this, there is room to subtract from this group. The Mammoth are not strapped for cash, to be fair. They have more than $20 million in available cap space, according to PuckPedia. But they could make room for summer additions while also creating additional roster flexibility with some trades.
Each team in the NHL has a few players who could be considered trade candidates. Of course, the Mammoth are no different. Here are two players Utah must consider trading at some point during the 2025 NHL offseason.
2. Matias Maccelli
At one point, it seemed like Matias Maccelli was a potential franchise cornerstone. He broke out as an exciting young playmaker for the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes. The 24-year-old scored 28 goals and 106 points across 148 games in the two seasons prior to 2024-25. It seemed as if this past campaign could have been his best yet.
However, it turned out to be the worst of his career. Maccelli played just 55 games this year, scoring eight goals. Moreover, his playmaking dipped drastically, as he managed just 10 assists. The Mammoth often made Maccelli a healthy scratch in 2024-25 as his play on the ice failed to turn into anything notably productive.
Utah does not want to trade its young stars, but with Maccelli, it's the best move for all involved. The Mammoth are only going to get better, with others waiting in the wings to take Maccelli's spot. If they do spend big in NHL Free Agency, the 24-year-old is going to wind up in the press box more often in 2025-26.
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Maccelli is not a bad hockey player, and good hockey players don't forget how to play hockey. He is young enough to recover from the disastrous 2024-25 performance. Utah should see what they can get for him on the trade market this summer.
1. Lawson Crouse
Lawson Crouse has never known an organization other than the Coyotes or Mammoth. He was drafted by the Florida Panthers with the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. However, he never played a game for them. The Panthers traded him to the Coyotes two years after drafting him.
Crouse never became the star the Panthers envisioned he would be. In saying this, he has carved out a role as a middle-six winger who can provide secondary offense. He scored 47 goals and 87 points in the two seasons prior to 2024-25. He also emerged as one of the team's most physical players, which is always welcomed in the NHL.
Unfortunately, his production dropped off hard in 2024-25. Crouse missed just one game this past year. However, he scored just 12 goals and 18 points. His 12 goals are his lowest since 2018-19 as a 21-year-old. And this marked the first time in three seasons he finished with fewer than 20 goals.
Crouse is a candidate to bounce back in 2024-25. He is not a rental, as he is signed through 2027. If the Mammoth make a big splash, clearing a forward spot will be needed. This could lead to the former 11th overall pick being traded at some point this summer.
