Logan Cooley Injury Hurts Utah Mammoth’s Playoff Hopes

Nick Schmaltz leads the Mammoth with 12 goals and 19 assists. Since Cooley’s injury, the top four scorers have attempted to step up. Schmaltz has one goal and five assists. Clayton Keller has 11 goals and 19 assists, with two goals and two assists during the eight games without Cooley. Dylan Guenther has accumulated 16 goals and 12 assists, with six goals during Cooley’s absence, showing that he has become the “go-to guy.” J.J. Peterka has 13 goals and 13 assists to his credit, with one goal and three assists in the eight games without Cooley.

As a team without the services of Logan Cooley, they have gone 4-5. Since December 5th, their goal production has fallen from 3.14 goals per game to 2.63. It’s cause for concern.

There were rumors that the Mammoth were interested in acquiring Phillip Danault, but he was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens. He wouldn’t have addressed the need for more offense, as he failed to score in 30 games. He is primarily a defensive player. Then, more recently, Mason Marchant was traded from the Seattle Kraken to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has only tallied four goals in 29 games.

The search for a more offensive player is ongoing.

Ryan O’Reilly Would Look Good In A Mammoth Uniform

Even though O’Reilly’s name has been out there in trade rumors, it seems he is perfectly content staying in Nashville. Per hockey insider Pierre LeBrun, [The Athletic]: “Some teams interested in Ryan O’Reilly were informed this week that the veteran center isn’t ready to entertain the idea of a trade at this time. He likes Nashville and would rather be part of the solution rather than abandon ship.”

I’m not sure about you, but how many veteran players at the age of 34 are willing to stick around while the team is in the midst of a rebuild? Unless O’Reilly is a music buff, staying in Music City seems implausible. The Predators are going nowhere fast, ranking dead last with 30 points in 33 games.

According to LeBrun:

If Armstrong could get a deal for O’Reilly completed by offering a second-round pick (they have three) and a prospect like Cameron Hebig, it could work out. Hebig has been a constant point collector for the AHL Tucson Roadrunners. He has added 76 goals and 80 assists in 313 games. This season, he has collected 13 goals and 10 assists in 24 games.

Another trade scenario could be trading Schmaltz to the Minnesota Wild for Yakov Trenin, as discussed HERE. Trenin is not the prolific scorer that Schmaltz is, but boy, can he hit people! He has averaged almost five hits a game this season. Last year, he added 241 hits in 76 games. He definitely fits the Bill Armstrong type of player.

For this writer, the ideal candidate should be the Boston Bruins’ Pavel Zacha. He is just 28 years old and has nine goals and 15 assists in 34 games. He had been mentioned as trade bait earlier in the season when the Bruins were floundering. Now? Who knows? He makes about as much as Schmaltz at $4.75 million through next season.

Mammoth Clinging To Wild-Card Spot

As it stands now, the Mammoth are tied with the San Jose Sharks (who could have predicted?) for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Sharks have two games in hand, which gives them the inside track… for now.

Attempting to overcome the loss of a key player like Logan Cooley could define the entire season for the Mammoth. Waiting until Cooley returns and gets back into skating shape could be a definite mistake.

End Of My Logan Cooley Injury Rant

Injuries happen to teams in the NHL. It just seems they happen quite a bit to the Utah Mammoth. Look at the Chicago Blackhawks without Connor Bedard until next month. They have already lost both games played since his shoulder injury on December 12th. While Logan Cooley may not be quite on the same level as Bedard, he is close. Bill Armstrong needs to work the phones sooner rather than later.