The Utah Mammoth have had one of the best offseasons in the NHL. It has been known dating back to the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline that the Mammoth were going to look to spend big and make moves to improve their roster, and that is just what they did. General manager Bill Armstrong made a ton of moves this summer, and now they are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
So, let's take a look at the three best roster moves the Mammoth made so far during this offseason.
Mammoth Acquire J.J. Peterka From Sabres
This one is a no-brainer. When the Mammoth made the deal to acquire J.J. Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring, it had the entire hockey world shocked. There were reports that Peterka was going to be dealt and that the Mammoth were a potential suitor, but there wasn't much talk about the trade being close until it was actually done. Both sides kept things quiet until it was time to announce it, which had Mammoth fans very excited.
Peterka is an addition that this team desperately needed. Yes, they have young players, but they lacked another scorer outside of Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther. That's what Peterka brings: goal scoring. He scored 27 goals in 77 games this season, and in 2023-24, he had 28 goals in 82 games. There is a big difference between the Mammoth and the Sabres in terms of the quality of players he will be playing alongside. Because of that, he could easily reach 35 goals. Peterka could be the missing piece to help get them over the hump and into the playoffs in 2025-26.
Mammoth Sign Brandon Tanev To Three-Year, $7.5 Million Contract
Of all the free agency signings the Mammoth made, signing Brandon Tanev to a three-year, $7.5 million contract might be the best. The deal carries an average annual value of $2.5 million, which is very affordable. For what he brings to the locker room, it's a very cost-efficient contract. Tanev, much like his brother Chris Tanev with the Toronto Maple Leafs, is a warrior. He gets into shooting lanes, hits anyone he can, and gives 100 percent effort every shift.
He is the type of player that teams bring in to improve their bottom six when they want to win the Stanley Cup. Armstrong has built this team over the last several years, going back to his early days with the Arizona Coyotes, with the hope that one day he and his organization can hoist the Cup. Tanev doesn't guarantee that this team wins, but it’s moves like this that put them on the right track. Tanev drew interest from numerous teams, so the fact that he picked Utah also shows just how much players around the NHL are starting to see them as a team on the rise.
Mammoth Bring In Cup Experience With Nate Schmidt & Vitek Vanecek
If you think back to the 2024 offseason, the Maple Leafs did something similar when they signed Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Steven Lorentz, all of whom won the Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2023-24. It looks like the Mammoth followed that same approach by signing Nate Schmidt and Vitek Vanecek to help bring more winning culture and Cup experience to the locker room. That isn’t the only reason they signed them, of course. Schmidt brings years of experience to the blue line and should quickly become someone the coaching staff trusts in all situations.
As for Vanecek, he didn’t play in a game for the Panthers during the playoffs, but he was still able to be around the team and learn from Sergei Bobrovsky. It’s also worth noting he had success earlier in his NHL career. Now, he’ll serve as the backup for the Mammoth behind fellow countryman Karel Vejmelka and is expected to start 30 to 35 games. Both players will have their work cut out for them. This team isn’t a juggernaut like Florida was. They’ll need to bring their best efforts on a nightly basis, and if they do, good things will come. Plus, they all get to enjoy living in Utah while doing it.
Overall, Armstrong has done a great job insulating the core with dependable depth. He added a reliable NHLer at each position: Tanev at forward, Schmidt on the blue line, Vanecek in net, and of course, the big swing with Peterka. He came into the offseason with one goal, to improve the team, and that’s exactly what he did.
