The Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 season starts in less than a week with the doubleheader preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche. This season is expected to be a big one for the Mammoth, as the expectation is that the team makes the playoffs.
With the massive expectations for the team comes some big and burning questions. Some will need to be answered for them to make that big jump into the playoffs. Some will dictate their role this season in Utah. Here are the biggest burning questions heading into training camp and the 2025-26 NHL season for the Mammoth.
Will Lawson Crouse Have a Bounceback Year?
Arguably, one of the most disappointing players on Utah last season was Lawson Crouse. In his final season with the Arizona Coyotes, the forward had 23 goals and 42 points. He looked like a solidified 20-goal scorer in the NHL, hitting that plateau for three straight seasons.
Then, everything fell apart in Utah. Crouse only had 18 points in 81 games. Funny enough, it was the same amount former Mammoth forward Matias Maccelli finished with despite playing nearly half the number of games Crouse did. It was by far the worst season the forward has had in his career.
Crouse is someone who is very hard on himself to be the best player he can be. The mental side of the game is something he told reporters at media day that he’s been working hard at, along with stick handling and other things. He knows he hit rock bottom last season. Can he get back to his play from Arizona?
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He’ll have limited ice time to do so. Thanks to the addition of J.J. Peterka, the Mammoth’s top-six is pretty much solidified, so Crouse will likely slot in on the third line to start the season. He also lost his usual linemate, Josh Doan, in the Peterka trade. It does shake some things up for him.
Right now, he’s projected to share the third line with Jack McBain and Alex Kerfoot. On paper, that looks like a very physical line that can chip in some offense. McBain had a career year last year. His increased offense could pay dividends for Crouse.
If the Mammoth want to make the playoffs, they’ll need production from their bottom six, something that hindered them at times last season. Crouse will need to help lead that group and at least get close to returning to the 20-goal plateau. If he does, he and the Mammoth will be in great shape. If not, he could be an option to be traded for general manager Bill Armstrong.
Will Dmitriy Simashev and Daniil But Make the NHL In a Consistent Role?
When Dmitriy Simashev and Daniil But were signed over the offseason, a big thing that was noticed on their contracts was the European assignment clause. The clause starts in year two for both players, but they are noticeably absent for year one.
When asked if playing time in the American Hockey League (AHL) would be needed for the two, Armstrong mentioned that he sees them in the NHL, but it wouldn’t hurt if they spent time in the AHL.
Since the Mammoth signed the Russian duo, the team has acquired Peterka, Nate Schmidt, Brandon Tanev, and re-signed Kailer Yamamoto and Michael Carcone. That fills out their six slots on the blue line and adds even more depth to their forward group.
So, where does that leave Simashev and But? It leaves three options open. The first is that they spend parts of the season with the Tucson Roadrunners. There, they’ll be guaranteed the most amount of ice time compared to the other two options, and it’ll give them some time to adjust to North American hockey. They’ll be on what’s expected to be a competitive Roadrunners team with fellow Russian Artem Duda.
There’s also the option of them staying in the NHL, but usually as a healthy scratch. Even then, Simashev will be battling it out with Nick DeSimone and Scott Perunovich for a spot on the blue line, given the chance someone is injured. But is in a similar situation with Carcone, Liam O’Brien, and Yamamoto, all expected to battle it out for the final spot in the bottom six and the extra forward spot.
Finally, they could have a crazy training camp, which vaults them into full-time roles. Given their disappointing outings at the Rookie Showcase, this is highly unlikely but possible.
While the Mammoth aren’t depending on Simashev and But, they do want to see them grow this season. The best way of doing that (in my opinion) is putting them in the AHL for most of the season and giving them a look at the NHL either down the stretch if the Mammoth already are in the playoffs by then, or when injuries come around, then bring them up. It will be interesting to see what the team does with the Russian duo, as it’s one of the biggest questions around any prospect in the organization.
What Will the New Goaltending Tandem Look Like?
During media day on Wednesday, Armstrong announced that Connor Ingram will no longer be part of the Mammoth. The two sides mutually agreed that Ingram would get a clean start elsewhere, and the goaltender will be placed on waivers in the near future.
It solves the big question of who will win the backup spot behind Karel Vejmelka that was circling the internet over the summer. It does leave the question of how this new goaltending tandem will perform.
For the first time since his rookie season in the NHL, Vejmelka will have someone other than Ingram be his full-time goaltending partner. Vítek Vaněček will be the Mammoth’s backup, barring any surprises from Matt Villalta and Jaxson Stauber in camp. Vaněček split time between the San Jose Sharks and the Florida Panthers last season, eventually winning the Stanley Cup with the latter despite not appearing in any playoff games.
Vaněček has struggled in the NHL ever since his 33 wins with the New Jersey Devils during the 2022-23 season. There is some good news, though. The Mammoth’s coaching staff has been known to get the best out of players, including goaltenders. They’ve done it with Darcy Kuemper, and they’ve also made both Vejmelka and Ingram into starting NHL goaltenders. They can certainly do it with Vaněček.
It will be Vejmelka anyway, playing a majority of the games this season. It wouldn’t be surprising if he plays around 55-65 games with Vaněček playing the rest. Can he handle that workload again? Vejmelka has shown throughout his career that he can absolutely be a starting goaltender in the NHL. With an improved team in front of him, 55-65 games should be fine for the Czech goaltender. For Mammoth fans, they should worry about scoring with the goaltender pulled rather than the current tandem. The lack of production with the extra attacker on the ice is getting really concerning.
Will J.J. Peterka Continue His Production From Buffalo?
The biggest move for the Mammoth over the offseason was undoubtedly acquiring Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres. Over the past two seasons, Peterka was a driving force for the Sabres’ offense, producing 50 points in 2023-24 and 68 points last season.
However, this will be the first time that Peterka finds himself on a brand new NHL team. He has a completely new team around him, a brand new coaching staff, and is playing in a completely different environment. Adjustment time might be needed, but there’s more to it.
Peterka’s shooting percentage was insane last season with the Sabres. His total shooting percentage sat at 15.6% but his 5v5 shooting percentage was at 14.7% which is the highest in NHL history. It does give some worry about whether Peterka can continue producing at such a high rate even when that number does go down.
The good news for Peterka is that he’ll have better linemates around him than he had in Buffalo. He’s currently projected to play on the second line with Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz. However, it’s more than likely he’ll get some playing time with players like Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, and Logan Cooley.
Peterka might not have a hot start with the adjustment to playing under a new coaching staff and with new players, and potentially the altitude of Salt Lake City. However, he should be a main contributor for the Mammoth for the foreseeable future. It shouldn’t be a main concern for fans. 68 points might not happen in the first season, but it could be something that he surpasses sooner or later.
Will Any Rookies Make the Lineup?
We’ve already discussed the biggest rookies coming into training camp this season in Simashev and But. However, there are a couple of others heading into camp with good odds to make the NHL roster.
The prospects that could genuinely challenge for an NHL roster spot right away this season include Cole Beaudoin, Tij Iginla, Maveric Lamoureux, Artem Duda, and the Russian duo.
As mentioned, the defense is stacked for the Mammoth. The team brought back five of the six defensemen who routinely played and also re-signed seventh defenseman DeSimone. The Mammoth brought in Schmidt to finalize their blue line, which leaves no room for really anyone. That takes out Lamoureux, Duda, and Simashev, although he could be an exception.
It’s the bottom six where one of Beaudoin, But, and Iginla could really challenge for a roster spot. Iginla and But need some more time to develop, but Beaudoin is right now the favorite out of the group to land a spot.
Beaudoin just looks and seems more mature and developed than the other forwards. He had a great season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts last year and looked impressive during development camp in July. Although he was invisible during the Rookie Showcase, it wouldn’t be surprising if he plays a bunch of preseason games for the Mammoth.
Despite Beaudoin having the best chances to make the lineup, it’s hard to imagine any of the prospects beating out the established players in the Mammoth’s top nine or top six on the blue line, and is playing bottom line minutes better than getting top line minutes in juniors or in the AHL for the forwards?
Out of the six, Simashev will most likely be the one who sees the NHL first, though it’s hard to imagine it’ll be right out of camp. However, next season is when you’ll probably see most of these players genuinely challenge for spots in the lineup. Add in Caleb Desnoyers, who will hopefully be healthy next training camp, and it’ll be an interesting battle between the prospects.
Which Players Will Win Spots in the Bottom Six?
As mentioned, depth will be a massive part of deciding if the Mammoth make the playoffs. A lot of the bottom six players are coming off down years, including Crouse, O’Brien, Carcone, and Kerfoot. With that, the team brought in and re-signed some players who will challenge for those roster spots.
Right now, 11 players will challenge for the bottom six. Five of those players arguably are already locked for spots. Those players are Crouse, Kerfoot, McBain, Tanev, and Kevin Stenlund, which leaves one spot for six players to battle over.
The remaining players who could challenge for that spot include Yamamoto, Carcone, O’Brien, But, Andrew Agozzino, and Cameron Hebig. Hebig and Agozzino are interesting selections. Both had really good years with the Roadrunners last season and are arguably deserving of a look in the NHL.
Agozzino even practiced with the main squad during training camp on Thursday. It shows his 43 points in 55 games were noticed by the front office. Both he and Hebig might have extended looks in the preseason, but ultimately, they’ll most likely return to the AHL. It wouldn’t be surprising, though, if they get called up due to injuries on the main roster.
As mentioned, some time in the AHL to develop more will probably help But more than playing bottom-line minutes with the Roadrunners. That leaves Yamamoto, Carcone, and O’Brien as the final candidates for the final spot in the lineup.
As of right now, O’Brien is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, so even if he gets healthy by the start of the season, he’ll need some time to get back into things. Between Yamamoto and Carcone, Carcone probably has the slight edge since he played more in the NHL last season and is on a one-way contract.
However, if Carcone gets that final roster spot, he’ll be on thin ice. The Mammoth coaching staff won’t be afraid to scratch him for Yamamoto, O’Brien when he returns, or someone else. The bottom six won’t look the same all season long. Expect O’Brien to make appearances when the Mammoth need physicality, and Yamamoto and Carcone to slot in when more offense is needed.
Will the Mammoth Make the Playoffs?
The overarching and biggest question for the season. Will the Mammoth make the playoffs? Armstrong told the media that it is the goal, and each of the players said that’s the expectation heading into the season.
There are a lot of things that need to happen for the Mammoth to reach the playoffs. Some of those things have been mentioned above, like Peterka having a strong year, the bottom six needing to produce, and the goaltending needing to be consistently good. There are other things, like having a hot start, continually improving on special teams, no mid-season slumps, and no key injuries.
It doesn’t just rely on the Mammoth either. They are in a tough division. Last season, five teams made the playoffs, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that happens again. The Mammoth will need to beat out a team like the Minnesota Wild or the St. Louis Blues to claim a spot because it’s hard to envision the top three teams (Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets) dropping out.
Answering the question of playoffs right now is hard. It’s definitely possible, and the Mammoth seem to be a favorite among other reporters to sneak into the playoffs. The first couple of weeks of the season should give us an idea of what this team will be. If some of the aforementioned questions can be answered positively, the Mammoth should be in good shape to challenge for a playoff spot once again.
