In their first year of operation this past season, the Utah Mammoth failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, after some savvy moves in trades and free-agency, the Mammoth [http://thn.com/utah] are looking like they can surprise some people and squeeze into the post-season in the ultra-competitive Central Division in 2025-26. It’s true that Utah finished seven standings points out of a playoff spot this past season, but that’s only three wins and an overtime loss that separated them from the playoffs and the NHL’s draft lottery. So you can see why Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong went out and picked up a handful of players he believes can help push Utah across the finish line and make it into the playoffs in Year 2 of the team’s existence in Salt Lake City. Which Eastern Conference teams have improved the most this off-season? For starters, Armstrong won the JJ Peterka sweepstakes, acquiring the young winger from the Buffalo Sabres [http://thn.com/buffalo] at a price tag – youngster Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring – that isn’t going to open up a major hole in the lineup. But Armstrong was only getting started with that move. Once free-agency opened up, Armstrong first signed veteran left winger Brandon Tanev [https://puckpedia.com/player/brandon-tanev] to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $2.5 million, in the process shoring up the Mammoth’s fourth line and their penalty-kill. Then, Armstrong added former Florida Panthers [http://thn.com/florida] defenseman Nate Schmidt on a three-year contract with an average annual value of $3.5 million [https://puckpedia.com/player/nate-schmidt]. The 33-year-old Schmidt can chip in a small amount of offense, but his bigger role in Utah is to provide his veteran know-how, his Cup-winning pedigree and his ability to kill penalties for a young Mammoth squad. To be sure, Utah is only going to go as far as their young core carries them. Armstrong has provided secondary help via trades and free agency, but players including forwards Lawson Crouse, Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther, and defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Sean Durzi are crucial components and keys to the Mammoth taking that next competitive step. If there is a weak spot in this Utah team, it could prove to be in their goaltending. Presumptive starter Karel Vejmelka has been solid for the Mammoth, posting a 2.58 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in 58 appearances last year, but with backup Connor Ingram unavailable as he works his way through the NHL’s Player Assistance Program, Armstrong had to go out and acquire a new understudy for Vejmelka. That goalie turned out to be Vitek Vanecek, who split time last season between the San Jose Sharks (for whom he posted a .882 SP and 3.88 GAA in 18 appearances) and the Panthers (for whom he put up a .890 SP and 3.00 GAA in seven appearances). Vanecek is the insurance policy in net for Utah, but if the Mammoth wind up without a strong performance from Vejmelka, we could see Armstrong go out and acquire another netminder during the season. Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/575340ac-1e34-44b4-933e-d8ed8bf4fe16.jpeg] Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images) Utah still has $10.9 million in cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/utah-mammoth] and all kinds of draft picks, and they have to convert some of those picks into players that can help them win now, because the days of this franchise always focusing on the future are over. Armstrong has done the legwork to build up a strong core of young talent, and he can’t be satisfied anymore with moral victories that emphasize the future and not the present. But the good news for Mammoth fans is that Utah is on the precipice of making a major mark in the standings next season. It won’t be easy to secure a playoff spot in the Central, but the Mammoth have the motivation and the all-around talent to push other teams aside and land the organization’s first playoff appearance since 2019-20. Armstrong has built this group into a terrific squad intent on putting the failures of the past in the rearview mirror, and now it’s on the players to prove him right for investing in them. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
