Utah Mammoth’s 2025 free agent: Who stays? – Hockey Writer – Utah Hockey Club

It’s been nearly two months since we saw Utah Hockey Club play the last game of their inaugural season. With the team only seven points in the Stanley Cup playoffs, much of the conversation around this team is focused on their last game, as their last game focuses on how the current Utah Mammoth makes a big move in the offseason to become a true playoff contender.

While it’s interesting to speculate that the team can take action in the coming months, Mammoth still has a decision on the players in the organization whose contract has expired and needs to be extended on July 1 before becoming a free agent and entering the open market.

Here are Mammoth’s four pending free agents. Let’s discuss where these players can adapt next season, or whether the Mammoth can keep moving forward comfortably.

Jack McBain (RFA)

Jack McBain, the 68th pick in the third round of the 2018 NHL draft, just finished his third season in the NHL with the Utah Hockey Club. He set his career in both goals and points, completing the season with 13 goals, 14 assists and 27 points.

Related: Utah HC’s highest offseason priority needs to be McBain, Cooley & Young Prospects

The Minnesota Outdoors originally drafted McBain. However, the Arizona Coyotes acquired his rights ahead of the 2022 NHL trade deadline, during which McBain scored 33 points in his final NCAA hockey season for Boston College. After this season, the now Mammoth Coyotes signed a two-year extension with general manager Bill Armstrong, who said: “He is a large, strong, physical center who led our team to hit and attack last season. We look forward to him getting him back to our roster this season.”

Since then, McBain has recorded 25 points or more for three consecutive seasons. He is an integral part of Utah’s inaugural season roster, appearing in all 82 games in Utah, each with over 11 minutes, with five-on-five and five-pointers, an average of 1:43 per game.

Although McBain hasn’t made the same progress as the Mammoth has liked over the past few seasons. He has always been consistent. He has shown that he doesn’t need to go into the stats to be a valid player, which is sixth in the NHL this season and has a 7% share of Utah’s team target in a five-on-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five-five- He is a huge body that brings the body elements that Mammoth desperately lacks. He stood up to protect his teammates and showed that he could play anywhere in the roster.

McBain resigning won’t be expensive. If the Mammoth is going to bring him back, I hope to sign the contract by July 1, i.e. the date the other teams can start submitting the quotation form to him, with the possibility of raising the price.

Michael Kakon (UFA)

Michael Carcone is an undrafted free agent before signing with the Coyotes in 2021-22. He has been playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 2016-17 season. Finally, he scored 25 points in 35 games with the Tucson Roadrunners, a branch of the Coyotes, in 2020-21, and won an NHL contract.

In the season after Carcone signed with the Coyotes, he scored 24 goals, totaling 41 points in the AHL, and was asked to complete the season by the Coyotes. He started the season after trying to find his position in the NHL, in which he cried and scored 85 points in 65 games, but again he worked hard to make an impact in the NHL.

Carcone finally got his first chance to participate in the NHL full time in 2023-24. He ended the season with 21 goals, which gave fans great hope that the coyotes managers found undrafted gems.

However, Conconne played only 54 games in his inaugural season at Utah, and sometimes he struggled to stay in the rotation of Utah head coach Andre Tourigny. Despite his limited role, his speed is similar to the 2023-24 season, with 0.36 points per game compared to 0.39 points per game last season.

Carcone has some great base numbers with Utah this season and may be one of those who need a more important role to reach its full potential. But it’s unlikely that the Mammoth will happen next season as they’re looking for a proven producer at the NHL level, and in his exit interview, Carcone said: “I don’t think we’re going to agree to anything…I talked to the coaching staff and the managers and I think we’re going in a different direction.”

Nick Bjugstad (UFA)

Nick Bjugstad is probably the most complicated situation for the mammoth. He is a 32-year-old veteran and a first-round pick for the Florida Panthers and has 13 seasons in the NHL. At 6 feet 6 inches and 205 pounds, he is a huge body, which is the demand for the mammoth.

However, Bjugstad’s season was very impressive, with 8 goals and 19 goals in the meantime. Both indicators are more than 50% less than what he raised for coyotes in 2023-24. While Bjugstad’s size is something Mammoth is still looking for, his production drop is his future focus with the team, as the Mammoth man has Daniil, but Tij Iginla, like Tij Iginla, has two first-round picks with high ceilings, hoping to stand out next season with Bjugstad’s roster””nection the Mammoth. Rating is only after Liam O’Brien (by hockey statistics card).

Bjugstad said in his exit interview that he would be willing to give back, saying, “I love the city, I love the people in the organization” but admitted that the decision was not entirely up to him saying: [Bill Armstrong] Some decisions were made and he had a lot of people entering the pipeline. ”

Since Mammoths may want to take a big move this offseason, they still have enough depth and hat space to use. They should not be expected to rush to re-sign Bjugstad. Given his lack of production and potential figures this season, Mammoth may think they can find an upgrade internally or in the open market this summer.

Robert Bortuzo (UFA)

Robert Bortuzzo is 36 years old and has played more than 500 games in 14 NHL seasons. He won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. He has played only 44 games in the past two seasons, separated from the New York Islanders in one season with Utah and another.

Unfortunately, Bortuzzo is unlikely to be an effective everyday player and is in his career stages and he is starting to think about other options because he says he doesn’t know what “what will have in hockey in the future” but also notes that he “will probably stay in hockey if we don’t play.”

While Bortuzzo’s prime numbers are behind him, he does say “I like to work with young people”, but there are many mammoths. The Mammoth is one of the youngest rosters in the NHL and they do lack the Stanley Cup experience.

Bortuzzo’s championship lineage is something that mammoths should remain in the organization. Bortuzzo, who works with the team in a consulting or player development role, can be a huge asset for the team’s continued development. However, Bortuzzo is currently not expected to sign another contract as a Mammoth player.

Mamma is very lucky. They have very few players who have contracts, and in the open market, all four players can be replaced. This should allow them to focus on the people they want to bring and stay in free agency later in the summer to find their own 2026-27 years to start thinking about contracts like Logan Cooley, Josh Doan and Barrett Hayton that will be getting new deals.