PHILADELPHIA – The second NHL trade deadline in Utah has officially passed and while the Mammoth were able to upgrade their blue line with the acquisition of MacKenzie Weegar, it was still a fairly quiet week.
What does that mean for Utah as they push for a playoff spot and beyond?
Let’s break it down.
Hearing that there will be no further trades for the Mammoth.
Weegar is the one and only trade for the Utah at the deadline.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 6, 2026
The Utah Mammoth made a great trade for MacKenzie Weegar to bolster their blue line
While many were hoping for a bigger splash near the deadline involving the Mammoth, the front office managed to make a valuable trade for a veteran D-man to improve their top four.
“He’s a top four D,” Bill Armstrong said of Weegar. “He can play PP, PK, almost any situation.”
“He can play a shutdown role. He’s going to be a big asset for us down the stretch.”
To shed Olli Maatta’s unfavorable contract and trade a prospect near the bottom of their pool with a few second-round picks for an experienced defenseman was an excellent move for a number of different reasons.
Maatta was being paid too much to sit in the press box, Jonathan Castagna was never going to make an impact for the club, and the value of those picks were better served in a trade as the Mammoth simply have too many prospects to sign.
Additionally, Utah isn’t looking for rentals.
They’re not to the point of selling their future to win now.
Rather, they want players who can grow with their core, help the team reach new heights and allow their high-end prospect’s more time to break into the league.
Weegar fits that mold.
“When we’re acquiring somebody, we’re looking at age, term of contract, & can they move with the club?” Armstrong explained.
“We’re not at the point where we’re risking it all for rentals. We’re probably a little bit more aggressive…our best team is not here yet. There’s still more young prospects to come in & play. What this does is allow them time to develop & be a competitive club.”
So, while many may have been hoping for more, this was still a successful deadline for Utah.
They may not have taken the “big swing” some were anticipating, but they improved as a squad that’s well on their way to a playoff berth.
“We did a great thing,” Armstrong said after the deadline. “We added to our group with MacKenzie Weegar in bringing him on board and being able to take that next step as a team and add a really high-quality player that can play in our top four.”
“That sends a message to the group that there’s a belief about our team and where we are going.”
What happened to Robert Thomas from St. Louis?
To preface, now that the deadline has officially passed, it’s hard to believe St. Louis ever really intended on trading Robert Thomas.
Despite multiple reports from national insiders that he was for sale with Utah as a potential suitor, the price for the 26-year-old center was astronomical.
According to both Frank Seravalli and David Pagnotta, St. Louis wanted a massive haul that included multiple first-round picks and current roster players.
The primary Mammoth prospect reportedly desired by the Blues?
Caleb Desnoyers.
Frank Seravalli: Re Robert Thomas asking price: It’s a massive package, you’re talking about multiple first round picks and current roster players – Flames Talk (3/3)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) March 4, 2026
Some notes on some of the chatter out there:
– Blues believed to want Desnoyers in big package from Utah for Thomas
– Bobrovsky wants lengthy extension with Florida
– NYR have an offer on table for Trocheck (Wild?); seeing if they can top it
– Some think Hagens joins Bs this szn
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 4, 2026
Look, there’s no denying that Thomas is a good player but there’s no reason to act like he’s a top 10 all-star center that could make any team a cup contender.
Sure, he’s averaged 77 points over the previous four seasons, has a favorable contract and is only 26 years old.
But we’re not talking about a Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Eichel or Auston Matthews.
So, why pretend he’s worth nearly as much?
If Utah was to trade some combination of Desnoyers with another of their top five prospects (Tij Iginla, Dmitri Simashev, Daniil But, Cole Beaduoin, or Maveric Lamoureux), picks and a collection of current players, the return would have to be closer to one of the aforementioned stars.
“Sometimes, other clubs make that easy on you because of the simple fact of their ask, what they’re doing, and it would deplete your entire organization and you’re not going to do that.” Armstrong explained.
“Sometimes the ask for some of the elite players that were available wasn’t even a question that we would do that as an organization because a year from now it wouldn’t make the organization better. Some of the asks made it a lot easier for us to stay disciplined.”
Now, could Thomas be shopped later?
Yes, and to the advantage of buyers as prices almost always come down in the summer.
As I said before, Thomas is a good player.
Might even eventually be a 2C on a Stanley Cup winning team.
But good on Utah for not taking the bait.
They should manage just fine for the rest of the season with their current roster and better to protect those prospects rather than risk their future by overpaying for an overvalued player.
“Our best team is not here yet,” Armstrong explained. “We had to make sure at the same time that we didn’t give away the future with some of our elite prospects that we’ve drafted over the years.”
“We accomplished two things in protect the future & at the same time get better as an organization.”
Bill Armstrong feels ‘comfortable and confident’ that Nick Schmaltz will re-sign with Utah
As I reported last week, I would’ve been shocked to see Nick Schmaltz traded by the Mammoth at the deadline.
Given his performance as of late, his attitude towards the organization and the role he’s played over the past few seasons, Utah would’ve been foolish to sell.
Additionally, as noted by Bill Armstrong immediately following Friday’s deadline, negotiations are trending positively towards an extension for No. 8 in Utah.
“I feel comfortable & confident that Nick is going to be a Mammoth,” he said.
“He’s grown up with us…he’s earned my respect…he’s a unique player in the sense that he can play wing & center & be good at both.”
This is a significant development.
Not just because the two sides are working together on a new contract, but because of what it signifies.
Schmaltz’s willingness to return further demonstrates that talented players are buying into what Utah is building and want to play in Salt Lake City.
Rather than chasing a bigger bag or playing for a team that could win sooner, No. 8 recognizes the opportunity to succeed with the Mammoth.
Fans should be thrilled by that.
Now, some may argue that Utah hasn’t really proven anything to this point as they’ve yet to sign a big free agent outside of the organization.
While that may be true to some degree, they’ve managed to consistently convince high end players within the organization to keep coming back.
On top of that, players around the league are talking about Utah.
They’re intrigued by the ownership group, recognize what they’ve already constructed in a short amount of time and have taken note of the organization’s desire to win for an extended period of time.
So, for now, take the contract extensions.
With a little more time, external talent will come.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will continue their five-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at 5 p.m. MT.
The game will be available on Mammoth+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
Take us with you, wherever you go.
