As rumors swirled around the Utah Mammoth ahead of NHL free agency day last summer, GM Bill Armstrong gave a word of caution to the local media: “Don’t believe everything you read, alright?”
While everyone was saying the Mammoth would pursue big fish, such as Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad, they instead targeted sensible, veteran depth players who could fill specific roles: Nate Schmidt, Brandon Tanev and Vítek Vaněček.
With Friday’s trade deadline approaching rapidly, the rumor mill is active once again — and the Mammoth are again at the center of everything. It’s clear that Armstrong and his staff are looking to add, but, again, don’t believe everything you read.
Armstrong explained in a recent interview with the Deseret News that patience has been the name of the game throughout the rebuild.
“I think we’ve been pretty disciplined in the deals we’ve chosen to go with and who we’ve chosen to go with,” he said. “I think that’s a huge thing and you watch a lot of teams, 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 sooner or later, there’s nothing left. We’ve done a slow, steady, patient rebuild, and we’re pretty aggressive in the sense (that) we want to get better. I think we just do it with a good outlook and being smart about it.”
Does that mean the Mammoth won’t target big-name players? No. But don’t expect them to empty the cupboards for a 35-year-old. Not yet, at least.
With that in mind, here are some reportedly available players whom the Utah Mammoth should target at the 2026 NHL trade deadline.
Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues
Age: 26
Position: Center
2025-26 production: 43 GP, 12 G, 35 P
Contract: $8.125 million, 6 years remaining; Full no-trade clause
If you have an X account, you’ve probably seen at least half a dozen trade proposals from Mammoth and Blues fans regarding Robert Thomas. Of course, Mammoth fans expect to get him for pennies on the dollar while Blues fans want the Quinn Hughes package, but his true value is probably somewhere in the middle.
Remember, though: There are far more sellers than buyers this year. The principle of supply and demand dictates that prices drop in scenarios like this — and the Edmonton Oilers’ acquisition cost for Connor Murphy is evidence of that.
Thomas’ age puts him right in the Mammoth’s wheelhouse, and the fact that he’s signed for a reasonable salary through 2031 guarantees that he’d be around for the long haul. This season has been among his worst in the NHL, though that’s likely at least partially due to his team’s lack of success.
Skill-wise, Thomas is somewhere between a 1C and a 2C, meaning he can handle the top job until Logan Cooley reaches his prime, at which point he could slide perfectly into the second-line role. It makes even more sense if Nick Schmaltz opts to walk in free agency this summer.
Oh, and don’t forget that Armstrong knows Thomas well. He was the Blues’ director of amateur scouting when they drafted him. Perhaps that relationship would make Thomas more comfortable waiving his no-trade clause.
Shane Wright, Seattle Kraken
Age: 22
Position: Center
2025-26 production: 59 GP, 11 G, 23 P
Contract: $886,666, 2 years remaining
It wasn’t that long ago that Shane Wright was the obvious choice to go first overall in the NHL Draft. You can imagine the shock that hit the hockey world when he slid to fourth, as three GMs, including Armstrong, passed on him.
Four years later, all three of those managers look like geniuses. It’s not that Wright is a bad player, but he’s no Logan Cooley or Juraj Slafkovský.
As a two-way center, Wright’s offensive stats aren’t the only thing to look at. But the fact that he seen less than three minutes of penalty kill time in his 154 NHL games isn’t an encouraging sign, nor is the fact that he’s only started 28% of his shifts in the defensive zone this season.
Don’t forget, though, that Wright is only 22 years old. I don’t know what you had accomplished at that age, but I certainly hadn’t scored 74 points in the NHL. The point is that he still has plenty of time to blossom into a highly productive NHL player — and perhaps a change of scenery would be beneficial.
The Mammoth would be foolish to burn several first-round picks to get Wright, but if they can pry him out of the Kraken’s grasp for a couple of B-level assets, that’s a good gamble to take.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 25
Position: Center
2025-26 production: 36 GP, 2 G, 9 P
Contract: $4.82 million, 5 years remaining; Modified no-trade clause
Like Wright, Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s draft position shocked the hockey world — but for the opposite reason. Nobody thought he’d be remotely close to the third-overall pick.
Kotkaniemi has struggled to live up to his draft ranking. It may have to do with the pressure of playing in Montreal at the time, and he might have entered the league too early (he was the youngest player in the NHL in his first season and the seventh-youngest in his second).
His play this year in no way justifies his contract, so this could be a situation where the Hurricanes give up assets just to get rid of him. The Mammoth have plenty of cap space, so it could be a good gamble to take him with hopes that he gets his career back on track.
Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues
Age: 27
Position: Right wing
2025-26 production: 50 GP, 14 G, 33 P
Contract: $8.125 million, 6 years remaining; Full no-trade clause
Is it really trade season if Jordan Kyrou’s name isn’t in the mix?
The 27-year-old winger seems to always be on the trade block, though nothing has actualized yet. He continues to produce through it all, totaling 36 goals last season. Like Thomas, his pace has slowed down this year, but that’s the case with most Blues players.
Kyrou is another example of someone who could grow with the Mammoth’s young core. He will likely be in his prime, more or less, until the end of his current contract, and his cap hit is very manageable for the type of offense that he produces.
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 27
Position: Center
2025-26 production: 51 GP, 13 G, 35 P
Contract: $11.6 million, 7 years remaining; No-move clause
If Armstrong were to make this trade, it would be important to make it clear that he wants the forward Elias Pettersson, not the defenseman (the Canucks have one of each with the same name).
Pettersson is the riskiest name on the market, but he also comes with the highest potential. His contract is nearly impossible for any team to add to its books, but if he can get back to the 102-point player he was three years ago, it’s well worth it.
The Vancouver spotlight has reportedly been tough on the Swedish center. In a market like that, any cold stretch becomes the end of the world — and much has been said about Pettersson’s tendency to pay lots of attention to the things that are said about him. He might thrive in a place like Utah, where there are only two full-time beat reporters.
At his best, Pettersson is a playmaking weapon who uses his deceptively good shot to beat goalies cleanly. He’s also good in his own end, and has received Selke Trophy votes for the NHL’s best two-way player in two different seasons.
