Should the Utah Mammoth Re-Sign Nick Schmaltz?

With all of this promise and improvement, there’s still something weighing on Mammoth fans’ and front offices’ minds: Should they resign Schmaltz or not? The forward is in the last year of a seven-year $40.95 million contract he signed with the Arizona Coyotes.

Schmaltz more than deserves a pay raise for the way he currently plays, but are the Mammoth willing to pay the price?

Why the Mammoth Should Re-Sign Schmaltz

Schmaltz has shown the Mammoth front office that he can step up when needed. When teammate Logan Cooley went down with an injury, Schmaltz became the number one center on the team.

He answered the call quite well, stepping up and helping the Mammoth get back on the winning path in recent months. Without his scoring and assists, the Mammoth would most likely be in the tank race by now.

He’s become the offensive engine many NHL scouts thought he could. As mentioned before, Schmaltz is second on the team when it comes to scoring goals. With 23 goals on the season, the Wisconsin forward has already tied his career high in scoring, a major change from only scoring 20 last season.

What’s helped Schmaltz become this prolific scorer is his ability to sneak past defenders and find open ice for the easy goal. Many of his power-play goals are scored this way, by sitting in the front of the net and making quick strikes.

He also improved his one-on-one scoring, able to skate in front of the goaltender and make them miss. He showed this skill against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 27, when he broke free for a short-handed goal.

All of his improvements led to him scoring two hat tricks this season. One against the up-and-coming San Jose Sharks on Oct. 17, and one against the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 2. 

An Unbreakable Bond

Nick Schmaltz is also second in assists on the team, right behind linemate Keller. Having 30 on the season so far, he is close to tying his record from last year of 43. Speaking of Keller, besides being great friends on the team, the two have also broken records together. Both players contributed to the same goal over 198 times, the most by any pair of American-born players in NHL history.

This stat proves that the two players combined their skills to contribute to the same goal many times, showing the two’s chemistry is through the roof! If you were to take that chemistry away, it could negatively affect the team.

Nick Schmaltz Is a Defensive Engine

Not to mention, Nick Schmaltz has been an engine on defense this season. His effort on both sides of the ice remains unmatched. As stated earlier, in the game against the Flyers, Schmaltz used his speed to take the puck away from Garnet Hathaway, negating the easy open-net goal. Schmaltz’s motor and speed aren’t the only ways he’s helping the defense.

The forward ranks ninth on the team when it comes to blocked shots, being one of the only forwards on the team to make the top 10 in that stat. He’s also bashing his opponents in with 16 hits this year, tying his career high.

Drafted with the twentieth pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Schmaltz defies the expectations placed upon him as a late first-round pick. The strides he made in his game alone this year definitely earned him a payday either with the Mammoth or another team.

If You Love Him, Let Him Go

With how impressive Schmaltz has played this year, there comes a caveat. He will command a lot of money this year to re-sign with the team. As the Mammoth and the forward held contract talks during the 2025 offseason, a stalemate occurred between the two parties, according to Daily Faceoff writer David Pagnotta. 

“They had talks in the summer, but it didn’t lead anywhere from the contract side of things,” said Pagnotta. “The Mammoth had trade discussions with teams involving Schmaltz in the summer, but it got to the point where he even provided, according to my sources, he even provided a list of teams he would accept a sign-and-trade to.”

Though those talks didn’t materialize into a trade before the season’s start, the Mammoth front office might still hold the same sentiment of finding a trade partner by the deadline. The Mammoth are rumored to be involved in numerous trade discussions around the league, wanting to make a big-game splash at the deadline to bolster their roster. 

The Trade Market and Young Talent

Nick Schmaltz will most likely command a $7 million AAV to a $10 million AAV salary. If the Mammoth want to trade for a Nazem Kadri or a Robert Thomas to bolster their lines, they’ll need to make a sacrifice to open up cap-space.

Another thing going against him is the Mammoth’s up-and-coming talent from their prospect pool, who are playing well and have a shot at making the main roster next year. Prospect Tij Iginla has 31 goals, 30 assists, and 61 points for the Kelowna Rockets. Other Mammoth prospect Caleb Desnoyers has 15 goals, 38 assists, and 53 points for the Moncton Wildcats. 

Though these stats are from the lower leagues, both players are still top-10 picks and possess the talent to translate over to the NHL. Plus, both prospects play the positions Schmaltz can. 

Does Schmaltz Stay or Go?

There’s a solid chance Schmaltz stays with the Mammoth. The forward has publicly stated that he wants to stay with the team and seems to love the community in Salt Lake City. It’s all up to where the Mammoth front office wants to go. They’ll need to make a lot of tough decisions to build a Stanley Cup-contending roster, and sometimes you need to make a few tough decisions to do so.

Either way, Mammoth fans will be there every night at the Delta Center to cheer Nick Schmaltz on.