The Utah Mammoth [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah] upgraded the right side of their blueline by acquiring MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames] on Wednesday. Weegar waived his no-trade clause to head to Utah in exchange for three 2026 second-round picks, defenseman Olli Maatta and prospect Jonathan Castagna, who has 32 points in 29 games with Cornell in the NCAA [https://thehockeynews.com/ncaa]. The second-rounders originally belonged to the Mammoth, New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers] and Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators]. Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong told reporters earlier this week [https://www.nhl.com/news/utah-mammoth-gm-armstrong-says-trade-activity-may-wait-until-deadline] he wasn't looking for rentals as the squad looks to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and the first time for his core group since the Arizona Coyotes made it in 2019-20. The 32-year-old Weegar is anything but a rental. He's another key puzzle piece for a blueline the Mammoth have assembled through trades in the past couple of years. Weegar is in the third season of an eight-year contract worth $6.25 million annually, making him one of seven Utah players signed through at least 2030 [https://puckpedia.com/team/utah-mammoth]. The others are forwards Logan Cooley, JJ Peterka, Dylan Guenther and Jack McBain, as well as D-man Mikhail Sergachev and goaltender Karel Vejmelka. The new addition has strong puck movement ability and can be effective all over the ice. Weegar led the Flames in blocked shots this season, with 143, and he ranked second in hits, with 130. He has three goals and 18 assists for 21 points in 60 games this season. That said, he's exceeded 40 points in a season three times, including 47 last season. And in 2023-24, Weegar scored 20 goals and 52 points, both career highs. UTAH CONTINUES TO UPGRADE THE BLUELINE Before the franchise's inaugural season in 2024-25, they made two other notable moves for defensemen at the 2024 NHL draft. The first deal was acquiring Mikhael Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning] in exchange for JJ Moser, Conor Geekie, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 seventh-rounder. The second trade was for John Marino and a 2024 fifth-round pick from the New Jersey Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils] in exchange for second-round picks in 2024 and 2025. Sergachev, 27, sits fourth in team scoring, with 42 points in 61 games. Marino, 28, trails only Sergachev in team scoring among D-men, with 28 points, but he's a team-leading plus-36. Before the Mammoth acquired the Coyotes' hockey assets in 2024, GM Armstrong also acquired defenseman Sean Durzi from the Los Angeles Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] in 2023 in exchange for a second-round pick. Durzi, 27, has 21 points in 40 games. As for Maatta, who heads to the Flames in the trade, he has one assist, a minus-5 rating and an average ice time of 12:10 in 22 games with the Mammoth this season. Weegar has produced more this season and in his career, even though Maatta has played 173 more career games. The Mammoth now have Weegar, Marino and Durzi on the right side and Sergachev, Nate Schmidt and Ian Cole on the left. Although they no longer have any second-round picks in 2026, they still have their first-rounder, two third-rounders, a fourth-rounder, two fifth-rounders and a seventh-rounder. They also have all their picks in future drafts, along with extra selections in the third, fourth and fifth rounds in 2027. Heading into Wednesday evening's NHL action, the Mammoth are in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, with 68 points. They're four points ahead of the San Jose Sharks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks], which rank one place behind the wild-card teams. Weegar will continue his long-term contract in Utah as it looks to host playoff hockey for the first time. We'll just have to see how far they get this season and beyond. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/8127be64-29a5-4c3a-8ebc-51fffbeb115e.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
