Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Brandon Tanev

The Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 season is officially over. The team finished with a 43-33-6 record, good enough to clinch the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. Despite a strong series, the Mammoth lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1 in six games. Meanwhile, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-28-10 record, placing seventh in the Pacific Division, outside of a playoff spot.

With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 49 players under an NHL contract and grade their 2025-26 season. Over the course of this summer, we’ll take a look at their season, their future, and give them an overall grade. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Brandon Tanev.

Player Info

Age: 34

2025-26 NHL Stats: Zero goals, three assists, three points in 56 games

2025-26 NHL Postseason Stats: Zero goals, zero assists, zero points in six games

Originally Acquired: Signed in free agency on July 1, 2025, by the Mammoth

Contract Status: In the first year of a three-year deal with a $2.5 million annual average value (AAV). Unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2028

Season Overview

When Tanev was signed in free agency, he was expected to bring the same traits he had to all of his teams before. Speed, grit, and great play from the bottom six, chipping in goals here and there. As he enters his mid-30s, there were concerns that the three-year deal he signed was too long as his production shrinks and he gets slower with age.

The concerns were justified early. While Tanev had a decent preseason, scoring in one of the final games against the San Jose Sharks, it would be the highlight of his season, goal-scoring-wise. Tanev started the season with one point in his first 10 games. While he was never expected to be a point producer, the fourth line that he was on didn’t click early, and the forward’s ice time became minimal.

Turbo brings us up to 6 with an unassisted goal! pic.twitter.com/QB4cPHEmHH

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 5, 2025

Throughout October, November, and December, Tanev only had one assist. He found himself sitting in the press box on some nights and playing less than 10 minutes on other nights. Tanev almost scored his first goal during a game against the Los Angeles Kings, but it was waived off for offside.

After a 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers in December, Tanev was healthy-scratched for nearly a month. Finally, after a bad loss to the New Jersey Devils in early January, head coach André Tourigny shook up the lineup, including putting Tanev back in for a game against the New York Rangers.

Tanev brought exactly what Tourigny wanted to the lineup in that game: physicality. In the very next game, he continued making a big impact. The forward first blocked a shot early on, one that sent him to the locker room. Then, it looked like he scored his first goal of the season, poking a puck into the back of the net. It was challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal stood. Unfortunately, it was credited to Daniil But. Tanev got his second point of the season off the goal, receiving an assist.

The sudden return to the lineup was one that Tanev earned, not from doing something different or extra. Rather, it came from the forward going back to his roots and what made him successful in the NHL in the first place.

“For me, it’s just understanding what I do well, and what I’ve always done well in this league,” Tanev said. “Being physical, playing hard, fast, doing little things, and being good in all three zones, you know, I want to get back to that. And always been good at that is the consistency. That’s what drives my game. 

While Tanev only produced one more point in the season, he started to look more noticeable in the lineup. He started fighting, checking harder, blocking more shots, and becoming more of a nuisance to play against. Tanev once again almost scored in the final game of the regular season, but it was overturned. It was quite unfortunate as the forward clearly wanted that one off his back, especially after he had been playing the best hockey of his season in April.

In the playoffs, Tanev and the fourth line didn’t produce much. The forward did once again make some huge blocks and deliver some big hits. However, it wasn’t enough to stop the Golden Knights from ending the Mammoth’s season in six games.

At the end of the day, Tanev’s season wasn’t great. His zero goals and three points were career lows. Being a healthy scratch repeatedly in the first year of a three-year contract isn’t fantastic either. For Tanev personally, it was a season of disappointment.

“For me, it wasn’t a year I anticipated or expected to have,” Tanev said.

To prepare for his second season with the Mammoth and to try to avoid poor production again, Tanev is returning home to Toronto. He will more than likely be at Gary Roberts’ Performance as usual, staying in shape and doing everything he can to not just get better, but still stay as physical and speedy as can be as he approaches turning 35.

“I’m going back home and going on the ice, in the gym, and continue to work hard,” Tanev said. “I’ve been able to play (in the NHL) for a while now and understand what drives me and what makes me successful in this league and for our team. Just getting back to that, regrouping, and getting ready for a great year next year.”

The Future

Yes, it wasn’t a great first season for Tanev. However, there are reasons for optimism.

First off, once Tanev returned to being a mainstay in the lineup in January, he got better and better. In March and April, he played a critical role as an enforcer and defensive player for the Mammoth. He was in the team’s top 10 for blocked shots and third in hits. General manager Bill Armstrong recently said the third and fourth lines need a bit more character. Tanev can be a key factor in helping make sure that happens.

Secondly, there’s no way Tanev can be this unlucky again. There were at least three times where the forward had the chance to score, and luck just went the opposite way. You can feel that Tanev is on the brink of getting his first goal with the Mammoth. There’s no doubt it will come in 2026-27.

There’s no argument that Tanev needs to work hard in the summer to be better next season. His physical and defensive play was great and effective, but the forward needs to start chipping in points and helping drive the fourth line. Perhaps some new linemates will help Tanev. It might happen with Kevin Stenlund and Alex Kerfoot being UFAs.

The expectation for Tanev next season is to continue his defensive play and get back to his production from the past couple of seasons. He’ll probably end up being a regular on the fourth line, but it will be a spot he’ll need to keep fighting for as more and more prospects end up in the NHL.

Overall Grade

Tanev is another case on the Mammoth where standards weren’t met. Funny enough, a lot of those players who fall under that label are in the bottom six. It’s an overall group that needs to get better, but that means each player needs to have great and productive summers, and be ready for the new season, and that includes Tanev.

Great physicality and defense can only get you so far, especially when you’re on a multiyear contract like Tanev. This is a guy who should be producing at least 12 more points than he did this season, and a player who should be in the lineup every single game. Those standards, as mentioned, were not met.

Overall, Tanev is getting a D-plus for his season. While the second half of his season was better and more like the player who succeeded with the Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets, and Pittsburgh Penguins, the first half of the season was disastrous and frustrating for Tanev. At the end of the day, the hope for many is that this was just an adjustment season for the forward, being the first season within the Mammoth’s organization. However, the pressure will be on him in 2025-26 to get back to being a reliable player within the bottom six.