Mammoth Activate Logan Cooley And Alexander Kerfoot

The Mammoth appear to be set to key a pair of forwards back in their lineup tonight against Colorado.  Centers Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot have been activated off injured reserve, according to the NHL’s Media Site.  Utah had a pair of open roster spots available following today’s returns of defenseman Dmitriy Simashev and Maveric Lamoureux to the minors.

Cooley has been out since the first week of December due to a lower-body injury.  At the time, he was expected to miss eight weeks.  This comeback comes a few weeks past that point but had it not been for the Olympics, he likely would have been back earlier.

Prior to the injury, the 21-year-old’s point-per-game rate was down but he was scoring at a much better clip, potting 14 goals in just 29 games.  Accordingly, even after missing the last 28 games, Cooley should be able to reach the 20-goal mark for the third straight season.

Signed to an eight-year, $80MM extension that cemented him as the top-line center of the present and future, Cooley will certainly be a welcome return to a Utah group that is around the middle of the league in scoring while also fighting for a playoff spot.  At this stage, it’s highly unlikely that the Mammoth will be able to catch Dallas for third place in the Central Division, given that they’re 13 points behind them.  Instead, they’ll hope to hold onto a Wild Card spot over the next eight weeks.

As for Kerfoot, he has missed the last month and a half with an upper-body injury.  It’s the second significant injury he has dealt with this season, limiting him to just nine games played so far as a result.  Kerfoot has been limited to just one goal in those outings while averaging a career-low 10:20 of playing time per game.

Given the long layoff and his struggles, it’s likely that Kerfoot would fill more of a depth role compared to Cooley.  However, he’s one of Utah’s more versatile players which will help his cause as he looks to put together a strong finish before hitting unrestricted free agency in July.