The Utah Mammoth signed free-agent defenseman Nate Schmidt to a three-year contract, the team announced Tuesday. The deal has an annual cap hit of $3.5 million.
Schmidt is fresh off a stellar postseason with three goals and nine assists in 23 playoff games, helping the Florida Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup title. His 12 points ranked fourth among defensemen in the playoffs, and were only seven shy of his regular-season total across 80 games.
The 33-year-old blueliner had a bounce-back season in 2024-25 after he had his contract bought out by the Winnipeg Jets last summer. Following that, he signed a one-year deal worth $800,000 with Florida, becoming a regular in the lineup and making major contributions in the postseason. His ice time has dwindled over the last two seasons but he has been a reliable, smooth-skating defender for over a decade in the NHL.
Utah gets a fair deal on Nate Schmidt who was awesome on Florida’s very sheltered third pair last season. pic.twitter.com/wwpGa8IfwX
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) July 1, 2025
Schmidt has played for five different teams – Washington, Vegas, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Florida – during his 12-year NHL career. He has 52 goals and 187 assists, and became the first St. Cloud, Minn., native to win the Stanley Cup.
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)