Utah Mammoth fans, he’s here to stay.
Logan Cooley has signed an eight-year contract extension worth $10 million annually, the team announced Wednesday morning.
The deal, which will take the now-21-year-old to the end of the 2033-34 season, buys four years of unrestricted free agency. That’s not insignificant — usually teams have to pay higher than market value to get that kind of commitment, but it would take some mental gymnastics to suggest that was the case here.
Cooley is one of many young, budding stars to put pen to paper on a mega deal recently. Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley got $10,587,500 on Tuesday, Luke Hughes got $9 million for seven years and Jackson LaCombe, a college teammate of Cooley’s who now plays for the Anaheim Ducks, got $9 million for eight years.
This deal likely sets a bar for comparable forwards, as all the above-mentioned players play the blue line. With the likes of Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Leo Carlsson all eligible to sign, this could serve as a comparable.
“I’m excited to sign an eight-year extension with the Mammoth,” Cooley said in a press release distributed by the Mammoth. “Choosing to play with this group of teammates was the easiest part of this decision, and living in Utah has been amazing since day one. ... We have an opportunity to do something special here thanks to the incredible people in the organization. This is an awesome day for me and my family, and I am proud to commit to the state of Utah and to the Mammoth.”
For a brief moment Tuesday, Cooley was tied with Sidney Crosby for the league lead in goals. He has eight goals and 12 points in 11 games so far this season, and has really seemed to click with line mates Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka.