The Utah Mammoth have recalled 20-year-old forward Daniil But from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners.
Additionally, they’ve assigned defenseman Dmitri Simashev to the Roadrunners and have placed forward Kevin Rooney on waivers for assignment to the AHL.
But was the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft — selected six slots behind Simashev, his longtime teammate in Russia. Simashev impressed at Mammoth training camp this fall, earning him a spot on the season-opening roster. The organization believed it was in But’s best interest to begin his North American career in the AHL, so that’s where they sent him.
Simashev started the season on the right foot, playing at times on the top pairing alongside Mikhail Sergachev. Recent struggles, both as an individual and as a team, have led to a reduction in his playing time in many games, as well as several healthy scratches.
A trip to Tucson will allow him to play big minutes and develop confidence. The Roadrunners use the same systems as the Mammoth, which is advantageous for any player being called up or sent down.
Rooney, a 32-year-old depth forward, has been sent up and down all season long. Most of his time in the NHL this year has been limited to practices only, but in the one game he did play, he scored a goal.
But, who stands at 6-foot-6, has managed 17 points in 19 games with the Roadrunners — the seventh-highest-scoring rookie in the AHL.
Last season in the KHL (the top league outside of North America), he scored the 13th-most points of any 19-year-old ever. His numbers in that department put him on par with New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin and Columbus Blue Jackets star Kirill Marchenko at the same age.
Mammoth head coach André Tourigny said during training camp that he was impressed at how coachable But is.
“I did some video with him and he (already had) a good idea of what was right, what was wrong, and his questions were real questions,” Tourigny said. “I was not talking to a kid who was confused.”
How could this help the Mammoth?
When things aren’t going well, you need to switch something up. The coaching staff has tried a plethora of line combinations, and although some of them have performed well at times, most of them haven’t achieved the consistency that’s required to have sustained success in the NHL.
But is a scorer. He knows where to be at all times, and his wrist shot is dangerous. He could be a complementary addition to one of the top two lines, with noted playmakers such as Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz there to feed him the puck.
Sending Simashev down also opens a spot for Utah’s veteran defensemen to play. Olli Määttä, who’s a quarter-season into a three-year contract, would like to push his way back into the lineup, and Nick DeSimone has proven that he’s more than a seventh defenseman.
There may be another layer to Simashev being sent down
The collective bargaining agreement allows a team to pay for a player’s housing and per diem for up to 56 days. Monday was the 56th day of the 2025-26 NHL season, meaning it was the last day the team could pay those expenses.
The CBA specifically notes that the day the player is sent down does not count as a day on the roster.
If the Mammoth were to keep him on the roster for the 57th day, the team would be liable to cover his rent or house payment in the event that they sent him to the minors in the future.
