We’ve officially arrived at the first day of the National Hockey League’s free agency period, and multiple players have already been taken off the open market with new contracts in new cities, one of which is the Utah Mammoth.
The Mammoth, who have already traded for forward JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres late in June, have added Stanley Cup-winning experience on their back end. Defenseman Nate Schmidt, who recently helped the Florida Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions, has agreed to join the club.
He’s agreed to a three-year contract and will earn $3.5 million per season.
Nate Schmidt Has Joined The Utah Mammoth In Free Agency
Schmidt gets some stability after signing only a one-year contract with the Panthers last offseason, which eventually culminated in his NHL career’s first Stanley Cup win and back-to-back Stanley Cups for Florida.
Schmidt to Utah!
We’ve signed Stanley Cup Champion Nate Schmidt to a three-year contract. pic.twitter.com/lbEpLG9WfT
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) July 1, 2025
The Mammoth is excited to add a player with his experience and hopes that he’ll help the club return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020, when they were previously known as the Arizona Coyotes.
“We are excited that Nate and his wife, Allie, have chosen Utah,” Mammoth president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said. “Nate’s depth of playoff experience and most recent impact in helping the Florida Panthers to win the 2025 Stanley Cup complements our group of existing veterans extremely well. He will play a big role in helping to move our team forward this coming season.”
Understandably, he’s still feeling the high of having raised the Stanley Cup with his now-former Panthers teammates last month, which he referred to as one of the best feelings of his life.
“It was the best lap of hockey I’ve ever had in my life,” Schmidt said on June 17 after clinching the NHL championship. “I can’t believe that we are here. I’m just so proud of this group and so happy to be here.”
Schmidt has played in 741 regular-season games for the Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, and Panthers and has scored 52 goals and 187 assists. He’s also added 10 goals and 30 assists in 99 postseason games, including an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final with the Golden Knights in 2018.
Last season with the Panthers, he had five goals and 14 assists while playing in 80 regular-season games; he followed that up by scoring three goals with nine assists in 23 postseason games.
While a solid role player, Utah will need Schmidt to step up if it wants to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.