On the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared what he expects to come out of this week’s NHL Draft Combine.

He noted that this year’s combine could be one of the more interesting ones in recent memory when it comes to trade and roster rumours across the league. But he also mentioned something that should have Utah Mammoth fans on the edge of their seats this summer.

“You know which team everyone’s watching now? The Utah Mammoth,” Friedman said. “People think Utah is going to take a big swing at something.”

He added that Mammoth owners Ryan and Ashley Smith have taken big swings in the NBA before with the Utah Jazz and that “they want to show the NHL what the NBA already knows.”

If that turns out to be the case, it likely points to Utah making a serious run at one of Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers, or Brock Boeser.

GM Bill Armstrong has set the organization up in a great spot to be aggressive if the right opportunity presents itself. Utah could offer a top player a fresh start in a lower-pressure market that still has a growing national spotlight. That might appeal to players like Marner or Boeser, who’ve had to deal with constant media attention in Toronto and Vancouver.

Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas also touched on how the Mammoth stayed in the playoff race until the very end of the season, before ultimately falling short. But that could actually be a selling point. The team’s close, and adding a key piece might be what finally gets them into the 2026 NHL playoffs.

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