Vancouver Canucks fans know how not to conduct a rebuild.
I experienced it as a diehard until I handed in my fan card for a media job, and Utah Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong recognizes it in the midst of his second rebuild as an NHL executive.
For the last decade and a half, Canucks fans have been frustrated at the owner’s desire to sacrifice long-term success for a year or two of shallow playoff runs. Time and again, they’ve traded good draft picks and prospects for short-term solutions, and it has always landed them back in the “mushy middle.”
Armstrong does not want to take his team in that direction. He showed that on free agency day last summer and he’ll proceed with his philosophy at the March 6 trade deadline and beyond.
“We’ve had patience to acquire (a good young core), and we’re going to have patience to implement that,” Armstrong told the Deseret News ahead of the Olympic break.
Does that mean he won’t make a big splash? No. But it does mean he’s not keen on trading his up-and-coming stars for veterans whose primes will expire before the team is in its Stanley Cup-contending era.
How to conduct a proper rebuild in the NHL
Dating back to 2020 when he was hired as GM of the Arizona Coyotes, Armstrong has been committed to a full, proper rebuild.
It began with a few write-off seasons, which allowed them to draft the likes of Logan Cooley, Dmitri Simashev and Tij Iginla with high picks awarded for finishing low in the standings.
Throughout the process, teams paid Armstrong extra draft capital to take on their bad contracts, landing him Dylan Guenther and Maveric Lamoureux, among others. And he got a bit lucky when the lottery balls fell the Mammoth’s way despite barely missing the playoffs in 2025, allowing them to snag Caleb Desnoyers at fourth overall.
After years of hardship and a move to Utah, things are finally looking up for the group that Armstrong has constructed. But it’s still too early to go all in.
Again, patience is the motto.
“We look every day at improving our club, right? I think we’ve been pretty disciplined in the deals we’ve chosen to go with and who we’ve chosen to go with,” Armstrong said.
“I think that’s a huge thing. You watch a lot of teams now, they press the ‘go’ button too early and sometimes it can really affect them later on. ... We’re not like those Canadian teams where they’re putting their chips in every year and then soon enough, there’s nothing left.
“We’ve done a long, slow, patient rebuild. We’re pretty aggressive in the sense that we want to get better, and I think we just do it with a good outlook and being smart about it.”
Mammoth’s 2026 trade deadline plan
With just five games to go before the trade deadline, time is running out to bolster the roster for a playoff push. Don’t expect any rash decisions from Utah, but also don’t count them out of moves that could help the team both in the present and the future.
“It’s just really trying to get in and see if we can put a guy in a great position, and what can we acquire and how much it’s going to cost us,” Armstrong said.
With all their core guys still in their mid-20s, the Mammoth are in a good position. And with three rising, young stars in their early 20s, it’s only matter of time until they start contending. Oh, and don’t forget the five first-round draft picks who are all knocking on the door of NHL jobs.
“You do expect to improve and get better, and I think we’ve done that in a lot of different areas,” Armstrong said. “I still think there’s some areas we can improve, but I’m happy with the club, in a lot of ways, and the strides we’ve made from last year.”
From here on out, it’s the little details that determine the direction of the franchise.
“Now, it’s fine-tuning. Like, how long do you think this prospect will take to get here, and is there a window for him to come in and make the team? ... I think it’s a really good situation and a really good time for the club, just because there’s some really good cornerstone pieces — the Sergachevs and the Kellers and those type of players that are already here, that are in place, that we can build around.”
What’s next in the Mammoth’s rebuild?
Even with all the progress, Armstrong doesn’t expect his team to win the Stanley Cup right away.
“There’s a lot of patience that goes in, you know? Most clubs that become championship clubs have to go through some pain,” he said.
He referenced the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning — one of the best regular-season teams in NHL history — who got swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets, who had never won a single playoff series until that point.
The Lightning, of course, appeared in the following three Stanley Cup Finals, winning the trophy twice in the process.
“I’m not saying we’re going to be immune to that pain. I mean, you’re asking me what comes next — probably pain. Growth and pain, growth and pain,” he said.
“That’s how you get a little bit better, each time, but I like where our club’s at. We’ve been pushing here. We’re right where we’re supposed to be, where we want to be, and we’re pushing down the stretch to get into the playoffs, and that’s a huge thing. So I don’t want to look too far ahead.”
