The Utah Mammoth have made some very underrated moves to improve their roster over the early stages of the summer. It started with the acquisition of J.J. Peterka just before the 2025 NHL Draft. On July 1, when free agency opened, they signed Brandon Tanev, Nate Schmidt and Vitek Vanacek that will bring in a great amount of depth to their young core. Additionally, they added Kailer Yamamoto and Scott Perunovich as more depth to their lineup.
With $6 million projected cap space, there still is a chance that they add more, most likely via trade if they were to. Which begs the question, could they move on from Nick Schmaltz?
Schmaltz, 29, has only one year left on his seven-year contract that he signed back in 2019-20. That contract carries an average annual value of $5.8 million, which is a good AAV to move if they need to cap space to use elsewhere.
Last season, he had 20 goals and 43 assists for 63 points, which was a .77 PPG. It isn't a certainty that the Mammoth will opt to move him, they could use him as their own rental and take it to free agency. However, if they feel that he could be used too acquire something else to drastically help their team, then general manager Bill Armstrong could decide to move him.
One player that comes to mind, would be Erik Karlsson. If they feel that there is a fit on the backend for a bonafide packing moving defensemen, then trading Schmaltz, who could be replaced in their top-six, may be worth it.
