Utah Mammoth: Erratic Play Risks Playoff Hopes

On December 5th, Logan Cooley crashed into the Vancouver goalpost as he attacked the net. The result was that he would be out for at least eight weeks. That took away an offensive weapon the team could use, as he had scored 23 points in 29 games.

What usually needs to happen when a star player goes down is that someone else needs to step up. That someone for the Mammoth is Nick Schmaltz. Since Cooley’s injury, Schmaltz has registered five goals and 11 assists to lead the team. He was switched to the center spot to replace Cooley and has done exceptionally well.

Schmaltz’s linemates include Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse. Schmaltz has shown he is quite the player-maker from the center position. One player who has noticed that is Crouse, who has had four goals and five assists since joining that top line. He is recovering from a dismal 2024-25 season where he only contributed 18 points in 81 games.

While it is ideal to have Cooley back on the ice, the Utah team is doing the best it can without him.

Last Half Of The Season Needs To Be Better

It seems the Utah Mammoth has realized that to obtain a playoff berth, their second half of the 2024-25 season must improve over the first half. Over the first half, they had a less-than-impressive record of 19-19-3 good for 41 points. Playing .500 hockey will not get you to the postseason.

Thus far in the second half of the campaign, they have performed much better, boasting a 4-1-1 record. If they can continue to play as well as they have on their current homestand, they will be in good shape. Better yet, if they can raise their playing level to the way they performed against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, the playoffs will be in sight.

Guided by an excellent performance from their top goal scorer, Dylan Guenther, they dominated the Maple Leafs 6-1. Guenther scored his 22nd and 23rd goals of the year just 1:18 apart to pace the Utah Mammoth. Jack McBain, his new linemate, also added a goal and two assists. One cannot forget to mention the hustle play of Michael Carcone, who had a goal and an assist with a +4 rating. He pestered and forechecked the Leafs to death.

It showed what the Utah Mammoth can do if they stay with their game plan. Head coach Andre Tourigny must get some credit for readjusting his lines with the absence of Cooley. Leafs’ fans may state that their team had just played the Colorado Avalanche the night before in an overtime victory. Utah fans know about that since the Mammoth has played back-to-back games five times this season. No excuses, this is the NHL.

NHL Standings Are Getting Tight

Even though the Mammoth stands in the first wild-card position, other teams are right on their tail. The San Jose Sharks are just one point behind them and have two games in hand. The Los Angeles Kings trail them by two points with two games in hand. Then, the pesky Nashville Predators are two points back with one game in hand. The key here is that the Mammoth holds the key tiebreaker with 17 regulation wins.

By the time April arrives, we should get a clearer picture of the Utah team’s chance of playing in the postseason. So far, the next man up theory has worked out. Schmaltz has filled in nicely at center, and that line of Carcone, Guenther, and McBain has really clicked.

End Of My Utah Mammoth Rant

This team has been able to overcome diversity thus far, but can they get there? There were rumors that the Mammoth are interested in adding defenseman Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils. That would be a terrible idea, especially with the rumored return being Schmaltz, Nate Schmidt, and a draft pick.

Hamilton commands a $9 million cap hit through the 2027-28 season. He stands 6′-6″, 229 pounds, but is 32 years old. The Mammoth stand seventh in the NHL in goals against with the defense they now possess. Besides, losing Schmaltz would seem to be a huge mistake. We’ll see what happens.