Why the Utah Mammoth are ready to become a Western Conference superpower
Colorado Avalanche; Dallas Stars; Edmonton Oilers; Vegas Golden Knights. When thinking about Stanley Cup contenders of the Western Conference over the last five years, these are the names that jump to mind. Over the past 12 months or so, you could even add the Minnesota Wild to that mix.
But with the landscape shifting in the NHL, we may be preparing to see a new Western Conference – or more specifically, Central Division – contender emerge this season.
It has been quite the ride for Utah Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong, who took over general manager duties of the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes in the fall of 2020. Tasked with a roster in need of a rebuild and arguably the most unstable ownership situation in professional sports, it was not an enviable task that fell at the feet of the former St Louis Blues assistant GM.
It took years of drafting, patience and, in this case, a relocation (masked by an expansion) for Armstrong’s vision to finally come to fruition. After the inaugural playoff berth for the Mammoth – and the first one since 2020 if we are to count the Coyotes – the next step is Stanley Cup contention in Salt Lake City.
Full disclosure: the Mammoth are yours truly’s pre-season pick to represent the Western Conference in next year’s Stanley Cup Final. Though perhaps an out-of-left-field pick on the surface, there is a lot of evidence to suggest the idea isn’t as outlandish as one may think.
“Making the next step,” said one Western Conference executive when asked about Utah coming out of the West. “It makes sense to me.”
Beyond finishing with the sixth-most points in the Western Conference, the Mammoth were even better when you look at the stats under the hood. Ranking top-10 in both expected goals for per 60 and expected goals against per 60, the Mammoth ranked sixth among all teams analytically in the overall xG% category.
What made the Mammoth so effective offensively was their overall depth, with seven players – including defenseman Mikhael Sergachev, who registered 59 points in 78 regular season games – finishing with at least 43 points in the regular season. Captain Clayton Keller topped the list with 88 points in all 82 games, while Dylan Guenther reached the 40-goal plateau in 79 contests.
But the biggest wild card is top-six center Logan Cooley, who missed 28 games in the regular season due to injury. Registering 24 goals and 43 points in 54 games, Cooley was on pace for 36 goals and 65 points over an 82-game stretch.
In a league desperate for centers, Cooley’s return to health for a full season makes Utah one of the deepest teams down the middle in the NHL – a position that was further bolstered this summer. Acquired from the New York Rangers, 2026 Olympic Gold Medalist Vincent Trocheck projects to be the third-line center for the Mammoth based on their lines in training. He’s coming off a 53-point effort over 67 regular season games; not too many teams have the luxury of their third-line pivot having that kind of offensive production.
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The Mammoth’s center depth is so extensive that Barrett Hayton could find himself on the wing or on the fourth line to start the season. Quite the luxury to have a fourth-line center making a shade under $5 million per season.
Not all Armstrong’s moves have paid off, specifically the acquisition of JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in 2025; Armstrong gave up winger Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring in the deal. Armstrong pulled the plug on the Peterka experiment, flipping him to the Boston Bruins last June for two first-round picks.
Mistakes are bound to happen for every organization, but knowing when they need to be corrected is the key to making sure your team doesn’t suffer too much from them. Armstrong did just that with Peterka by not only flipping him a year later, but recognizing that his team was still in need of a top-six left winger.
Signed to a three-year, $16.2 million contract, former New York Islanders captain Anders Lee joins the Mammoth to fill the role that Peterka was (presumably) acquired to fill last season. On a team – and specifically top-six forward group – that is young and lacks experience, Lee’s hard-nosed style and battle-tested resume will only bolster an already-impressive offensive unit.
“Both (forward additions) will fit in seamlessly,” said one Eastern Conference executive. “Good additions and solid team.”
The defense is largely the same, and goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who played the most regular-season games in the league (64) last season, is back as the No. 1 goaltender. Though an under-the-radar move, the acquisition of 2021 first-round pick goaltender Sebastian Cossa from the Detroit Red Wings was a shrewd move for the present and the future.
What makes the Mammoth easy to be bullish about isn’t just the current roster, it’s the potential for what the team can do around the Trade Deadline. The Mammoth have maintained financial flexibility, projected to have more than $21 million in salary-cap space by the deadline. More so than that, the Mammoth have trade ammunition that could find themselves in a position to outbid potentially any other team for available players at the deadline.
Speaking with one GM, it was echoed to DFO that Utah will be frontrunners as buyers, “if they are willing to put their prospects in play.” The prospects that many teams would likely covet are forwards Caleb Desnoyers and Tij Iginla, who are firs- round picks in 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Desnoyers, 19, put up 78 points in 45 regular season games with the Moncton Wildcats last season. As a 6-foot-2 centerman, Desnoyers would be a highly sought-after asset if the Mammoth were to dangle him via trade. This is not to say that Desnoyers is being shopped (or even available), but given how deep the Mammoth are down the middle, it is fathomable at the very least.
In the case of Iginla, he was the inaugural pick in Utah’s history. After his 90 points in 48 regular season games with the Kelowna Rockets last season, Iginla’s scoring upside would surely be coveted on the trade market.
Positioned with a good amount of cap space and attractive prospects to dangle in trade talks, this already-impressive Mammoth roster could be primed to make a big addition during the season depending on how their results plays out. It will be no easy task in the ultra-competitive Central Division, but after an impressive second season in Salt Lake City, the Mammoth have positioned themselves as the top-breakout candidate in the Western Conference this season.
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POST SPONSORED BY bet365
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