The Utah Mammoth are 7-4-0 and still sit on top of the Central Division.
But one bad thing this season has been the defense and the abysmal goalie play.
Sebastian Cossa is too young to be cleaning up critical mistakes and lackluster play, which is pushing Utah into a corner.
Does Utah Need Connor Hellebuyck?
So far, Karel Vejmelka is 5-3-0 with an ugly .872 SV% (41st) and is allowing 3.04 goals per game. Since he has only started eight games, he still has plenty of time to turn things around.
Plus, the defense and the penalty kill have been pretty awful thus far, so Vejmelka hasn't been exactly helped much. But that doesn't matter too much. Great goalies have the ability to perform regardless of how good the defense or offense has been.
The backup goalie, Cossa, who is just 23 and getting his first real experience, has struggled in his starts: 2-1-0 with an .820 SV%, 3.33 goals allowed per game. The 1-2 punch of Cossa and Vejmelka just hasn't been good.
Connor Hellebuyck could be the answer. The 33-year-old hasn't seen ice in 2026-27 because the Winnipeg Jets still haven't found a suitor for him. But that suitor could be Utah. Hellebuyck is the kind of goalie who can carry a team with his performances.
He didn't have a great 2025-26 season, but he is still one of the best goalies on the planet, as shown by his performance for the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Hellebuyck can make the Mammoth into one of the best teams in the NHL.
Utah has had no problems generating offense thus far, so adding a superstar goalie could instantly make the Mammoth Stanley Cup contenders. Utah would love to be content with what it already has.
But it simply can't be because of how bad the goalies have been. A Hellebuyck trade is only looking more likely with these recents performances.
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