Can the Utah Mammoth take another step forward and compete for the Central Division? Perhaps.
Utah will need to take steps forward across multiple departments of the game. Questions like "Can the defense improve?" or "Can the offense take the next step?" will matter a lot.
Why they can: The Mammoth offense will be impossible to stop
The Mammoth offense should be a force to be reckoned with, as they return Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, and others. Those players were already a handful to deal with for opposing defenses in 2025-26, but now Utah also adds Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck.
That team still has youth, but the good thing about youth is that teams can use it to their advantage. Guys like Cooley can break out and become superstars. With the top nine that Utah has, they should be a problem to defend.
Plus, mega prospect Tij Iginla may or may not become an NHL star in 2026-27. At a minimum, Utah's offensive depth is elite. Even the players on the bottom of the lines, such as Kailer Yamamoto and Michael Carcone can be great.
Utah should make the postseason on the strength of its offense alone. But this offense has such a high ceiling that it can lead the Mammoth to the division title.
Why they can't: Too much youth still
The Mammoth added several veterans and kept some. However, Utah still has to rely on younger guys like Dmitri Simashev and Maveic Lamoureux on their defense. Veterans like Nick Schmidt and MacKenzie Weegar can help Utah put this potential worry to bed, but competing in the Central Division may be hard with the team being as young as it is.
Young teams can make a lot more mistakes (hence, "that was a rookie mistake"). The amount of youth on this team doesn't automatically disqualify them from competing, but it certainly makes it harder. Teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild have more established veterans who won't make many mistakes.
Those teams pose a huge challenge for Utah in the Central Division, given their overwhelming superstar talent.
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