A busy free agency day, filled with acquisitions and departures, left the Utah Mammoth with one obvious hole. They needed another NHL-caliber defenseman.
On Friday afternoon, they filled that hole by signing former Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke.
Peeke, 28, is a reliable bottom-pairing defenseman. He stands at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, helping the Mammoth in the size department — something they could have used during the playoffs last season.
Much like Ian Cole, who joined the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent on Wednesday, Peeke won’t put the puck in the net all that much, but he’ll keep it out of his own net.
The deal is worth $1 million on a one-year term.
In 386 NHL games between the Bruins and the Columbus Blue Jackets, Peeke has 75 points to his name. He has also killed more than 900 minutes in penalties.
“Andrew is a big, mobile defenseman that brings depth to our blue line,” said Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong in a press release. “He’s a smart player with offensive upside, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in a Mammoth uniform.”
Utah’s defense pairings should now look something like this:
Mikhail Sergachev - MacKenzie Weegar
Nate Schmidt - John Marino
Dmitri Simashev - Andrew Peeke
Nick DeSimone
They also have the likes of Zac Jones and Maveric Lamoureux at the top of the AHL depth chart, who can fill in as needed throughout the season.
Peeke joins Vincent Trocheck, Sebastian Cossa, Anders Lee and Jones as the Mammoth’s offseason additions.
Peeke’s first NHL fight came against now-teammate Lawson Crouse in 2021.