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Utah Mammoth - NHL Team Reports - Jared Clinton - May. 23, 2015 - Vol. 78, Issue. 11
BY COMPARISON, the 2025 draft is going to be a snore for Utah’s scouting staff. The club made 11 picks last June but will only have six selections at its disposal this summer. That doesn’t mean Utah GM Bill Armstrong won’t be active – he made three deals on the draft floor last year.
IMMEDIATE NEEDS: There’s room for improvement on the blueline. As it stands, one of Ian Cole or Olli Maatta will be taking steady second-pairing minutes next season. Either can do the job in a pinch, but given the franchise has missed the playoffs 12 of the past 13 seasons dating back to its days as Arizona, Utah needs more than merely “good enough.”
LONG-TERM NEEDS: After giving Karel Vejmelka a long-term extension, Utah has pinned its hopes on him proving this season, not the three prior, will be his new standard. Regardless, it would be wise for the organization to invest in its crease. Though Michael Hrabal’s play at UMass this year was tremendous – he ranked ninth in save percentage among NCAA goalies to play at least 30 games – long is the list of keepers who struggled to turn major-junior or collegiate excellence into NHL success. Better to fortify the blue paint now than be left wanting down the line.
CAP SITUATION: With more than $22 million at its disposal, Utah enters the summer with plenty of flexibility. That said, Armstrong needs to keep in mind that Barrett Hayton and Logan Cooley will both become RFAs ahead of 2026-27. Cap space must be earmarked for those extensions.
IN THE SYSTEM 2025-26: Armstrong said in April there’s a “good chance” 2023 first-rounders Dmitriy Simashev and Danil But will arrive from Russia ahead of next season. Both have KHL experience and could jump straight to the big club.
DID YOU KNOW: Tij Iginla, son of Hall of Famer Jarome, could be the first of three siblings to put their stamp on pro hockey. Brother Joe plays for WHL Edmonton, while sister Jade is in her third NCAA season at Brown.
GM SNAPSHOT
Hired: Sept. 2020 Drafts: 4
ASTUTE PICKS: J.J. Moser, 60th, 2021; Emil Lilleberg, 107th, 2021; Dylan Guenther, 9th, 2021
DUBIOUS PICKS: Ilya Fedotov, 43rd, 2021; Artem Duda, 36th, 2022; Julian Lutz, 43rd, 2022
BEST TRADE: IN – Shayne Gostisbehere, 2nd rd pick, 7th rd pick from Phi. OUT – Future considerations. July 2021
WORST TRADE: IN – 6th rd pick from Nsh. OUT – Jason Zucker. March 2024
CONTRACT TRACKER
BEST VALUE DEALS: Logan Cooley, 1 yr @ $950KClayton Keller, 3 yrs @ $7.15MMichael Kesselring, 1 yr @ $1.4M
WORST VALUE DEALS: Juuso Valimaki, 1 yr @ $2.0M
Lawson Crouse, 2 yrs @ $4.3M
Matias Maccelli, 1 yr @ $3.43M
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