The Utah Mammoth earned its first playoff berth since moving to Salt Lake City. Although it resulted in a first-round series loss, they took plenty of positive steps and have a very bright future.
The Utah Mammoth’s first Stanley Cup playoff campaign is officially over. The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Mammoth on Friday in Game 6, highlighted by Mitch Marner’s three-point performance.
Though the team will be left feeling disappointed after their first-round exit, Utah’s regular-season performance and ultimately making the post-season are a true sign of the franchise growing and heading in the right direction.
In fact, the young Mammoth had a 2-1 series lead over the Golden Knights at one point, but couldn’t hold off the veterans.
What Went Wrong For The Mammoth?
What ultimately held back the Mammoth from upsetting the Golden Knights in the first round was their youth and inexperience compared to their opponent.
It’s not that Utah has one of the youngest teams in the NHL - they actually rank 13th in average age, according to eliteprospects.com. But considering Vegas’ experience and the number of players who have won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2023, it outweighs what Utah has.
The Mammoth do have Cup-winning veterans such as Ian Cole and Mikhail Sergachev, but for the most part, Utah’s core is substantially younger. However, the organization is in a great position, specifically with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther leading the charge in their early 20s.
There’s plenty to look forward to for Mammoth fans, and the team’s youthful core will take lessons from this series into next year.
What's Next For The Mammoth?
The Mammoth have a handful of expiring contracts to address.
Alexander Kerfoot and Kevin Stenlund are the two regular forwards who will be UFAs on July 1. Both are crucial penalty killers for Utah, especially Stenlund, who leads the NHL in average time on ice while shorthanded.
Kailer Yamamoto is another pending UFA forward. The right winger played 59 regular-season games, but had a great series against Vegas, scoring five points in six games. He became a key part of the electric line with Cooley and Guenther as the season went on. Also, center Barrett Hayton is a pending RFA with arbitration rights.
On defense, 37-year-old Ian Cole is set for a new deal, but who knows if he’s ready to hang up the skates after 990 games across 16 NHL seasons.
And in goal, backup netminder Vitek Vanacek is on an expiring deal after signing a one-year contract with Utah last off-season.
On top of those players that are on expiring deals, three players are also eligible to sign contract extensions as of July 1.
Left-wingers Lawson Crouse and Liam O’Brien can sign new deals once the calendar flips to July, as can defenseman John Marino, who was among the league leaders in the regular season in plus-minus with a plus-42 rating.
Aside from NHL-caliber players needing new contracts, the Mammoth organization must be looking to create opportunities for even more youth. Top prospects such as Tij Iginla, Caleb Desnoyers and Cole Beaudoin are just about ready to make a push.
Don’t forget about Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev, who spent this past campaign developing in the AHL and put up very strong numbers.
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