One Move Can Catapult Mammoth to Stanley Cup Contender

A perfect storm is brewing for the Utah Mammoth. After an exciting but ultimately disappointing inaugural season, Utah is aiming for more. Their general manager, Bill Armstrong, is one of the league's most aggressive and cunning GMs. He made a notable splash to improve the team's defense before the 2024-2025 season began, but now he needs to take the next step to enable the franchise to follow suit.

The Mammoth can go from a team on the periphery to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender with one move. Free agency begins in just over a week, and there are multiple restricted free agents with unresolved contract negotiations. Utah has a boatload of salary cap space and a stockpile of draft picks, which makes them a threat to offer sheet Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies.

Knies would be a perfect fit for the Mammoth. The 22-year-old Knies is a winger on the rise. He had his best offensive season in 2024-2025, scoring 29 goals and adding 29 assists for 58 points in 78 regular season contests. He added five goals and two assists in 13 playoff games as well.

Knies brings a few vital elements to the Mammoth's top-six. The first is size, something the current top two lines in Utah lack. Standing at 6'3" and nearly 230 pounds, he's a rare mix of slick-skating ability combined with a power forward's build that harkens back to the older style of hockey.

The second is a knack for getting to the net. Not only does he have ideal size, he knows how to use it. The rugged winger put together his career-high offensive campaign by getting to the high-danger areas, parking himself there, and hounding the puck.

According to NHL EDGE, Knies was one of the best and most productive players in the high-danger area. He recorded 81 shots on goal within 29 feet of the goalie, putting him in the 96th percentile among all skaters last season. Converting on 27.2% of those shots, Knies finished the 2024-2025 regular season with 22 high-danger goals scored. That mark was more than 98% of all skaters that played in the NHL last season.

The Mammoth ended their 2024-2025 campaign with a top-six consisting of their captain, Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Barrett Hayton, Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, and Mattias Maccelli. With respect to those players, Knies is an asset that would totally change the makeup of their team. Adding him would catapult the Mammoth from a team on the border of the playoffs to a bona fide Stanley Cup contender.