The Utah Mammoth have acquired defenseman MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames, according to multiple reports.
In exchange for Weegar, Utah is reportedly sending veteran defenseman Olli Määttä to Calgary, along with prospect Jonathan Castagna and three second-round picks.
As of the time of writing, the Mammoth have not responded to the Deseret News’ request for comment on the reported trade.
Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong managed to significantly upgrade his defense while retaining all of his first-round picks and all six prospects drafted in the first round — and he did it while only adding $3 million to the books.
That’s not a bad deal for a team looking to build both now and in the future.
Who is MacKenzie Weegar?
Weegar, 32, plays the right side of the ice, which complements the Mammoth’s defensive group nicely. They’ll have three dependable, dynamic veterans there, with Nick DeSimone as a reliable extra for the anticipated playoff run.
In 60 games with the Flames this season, Weegar has three goals and 21 points. He has played significant power play and penalty kill minutes this season, especially with the departure of Rasmus Andersson in January.
In his best season, 2023-24, he scored 20 goals and 52 points. The hope for the Mammoth is that he’d be able to return to that level of play with a more competitive team.
Weegar is in his 10th NHL season, splitting his time between the Flames and the Florida Panthers. He was a major part of the trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida and Jonathan Huberdeau to Calgary.
Including this season, he has six seasons left on his contract at a cap hit of $6.25 million.
This story will be updated.