The Mammoth acquired veteran defenseman MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames in return for Olli M\u00e4\u00e4tt\u00e4 and several assets.<\/p>\n
(Tyler Tate | AP) Utah center Logan Cooley (92) and Calgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (52) battle for possession of the loose puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Salt Lake City. Weegar joined the Utah Mammoth at the trade deadline in March 2026.<\/p>\n
The Utah Mammoth decided to make a move ahead of Friday\u2019s NHL trade deadline, signalling general manager Bill Armstrong\u2019s faith in his team\u2019s playoff chances just two years in.<\/p>\n
Armstrong\u2019s tenure as boss of the Arizona Coyotes featured a lot of outgoing players and incoming draft picks, but Wednesday\u2019s trade represented a major shift in philosophy that has been brewing since the team\u2019s move to Utah.<\/p>\n
It started with Mikhail Sergachev\u2019s arrival in the summer of 2024 and continued with the acquisition of forward JJ Peterka the following offseason. Both deals brought starting-caliber players to Utah in return for draft picks and prospects.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s move is the next step in that ascent to Stanley Cup contention, bringing in another veteran defenseman, 32-year-old MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames, to play alongside Sergachev in a potential top pairing.<\/p>\n
Weegar is right-handed, balancing out what was a left-dominant defensive corps, including Sergachev. The outgoing Mammoth player, Olli M\u00e4\u00e4tt\u00e4, was left-handed and found himself outside of the rotation in recent months, despite helping Finland to an Olympic bronze medal.<\/p>\n
The other assets heading to Calgary in return for Weegar are former third-round pick Jonathan Castagna \u2014 currently playing at Cornell \u2014 and Utah\u2019s three 2026 second-round draft picks. The Mammoth still own their 2026 first-round pick and all of their top prospects after the deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in the day when we acquired all those second-round picks, we knew at some point we\u2019d have to use them to go out and get players,\u201d Armstrong said. \u201cNow we still have the ability to pick in the first round or use it to acquire another player. It gives you a lot of flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
How does Weegar help Utah?<\/p>\n
Utah\u2019s defense was solid before the addition of Weegar, ranking fourth in the NHL in goals allowed, but stood to improve in several areas, with just one shutout and a 22nd-ranked penalty kill unit.<\/p>\n
Weegar has not yet stepped on the ice for the Mammoth due to the Ontario native needing a U.S. visa. His mere announcement seemed to boost Utah\u2019s defense, however, which earned its second shutout of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday in a 3-0 road win.<\/p>\n
When asked about the timeline for Weegar joining the team, head coach Andre Tourigny quipped, \u201cAsk Uncle Donald for that,\u201d followed by, \u201cIt\u2019s four to 10 days, but we\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tourigny coached Weegar on Canada\u2019s junior national team and called him a \u201cwarrior\u201d with an \u201cold-school heart and soul.\u201d The Ottawa-born blue-liner was selected 206th overall in the 2013 NHL entry draft by the Florida Panthers, before moving to Calgary in 2022.<\/p>\n
Weegar has come a long way since his junior days with Tourigny, however, putting up five consecutive 30-point NHL seasons, including three above 40, and ranking in the top 10 in both total hits and blocked shots this decade.<\/p>\n
The 6-foot, 206-pound blue-liner brings some much-needed physicality to a Utah defense that currently ranks in the bottom 10 in both hits and blocked shots. He has 20 more blocked shots than the next-closest Mammoth player and becomes just the third Utah player to hit 100 blocks this season, alongside Sergachev and Ian Cole.<\/p>\n
He is also known for his elite puck movement and possession, coming in handy for Utah\u2019s special teams units that are improving, but still sit in the bottom 10 in the NHL in both power play and penalty kill situations.<\/p>\n
Filling in these gaps could mean the difference between making a run in the Stanley Cup playoffs or missing them altogether. Utah has a 6-point advantage in the Western Conference wild card standings at the moment, with four teams within 10 points of the Mammoth heading into the final 20 games of the regular season.<\/p>\n
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