The NHL Draft is approaching quickly, and the Utah Mammoth holds the 4th overall pick after being one of the winners of the draft lottery. The NHL Combine was completed, and the dinners were completed with Bill Armstrong. Rumors swirl around this time of year, as interest in prospects and potential trade partners intensifies.
The Mammoth has a strong group of prospects, and this year's top draft prospects appear to be at least one year away from being NHL-ready. That being said, sitting with the 4th pick guarantees that Utah will come away with a strong prospect, likely to compete for the NHL roster within a year.
Although the Utah system has had plenty of time to be built with its time in Arizona, you can never go wrong with adding picks to your draft. The NHL team is ready to take the next step with many young players who have grown together through the bumps and bruises of learning the NHL. The "sexy" choice for any franchise is drafting a player who could impact the squad sooner rather than later.
The franchise is young and still building an identity in Salt Lake City, but the future is bright, and Armstrong needs to maintain the future of the franchise for years to come.
The final charts are being done in every NHL team's draft rooms, but it is safe to say that Armstrong will have a choice of Porter Martone, James Hagens, Caleb Desnoyers, and Anton Frondell. With that, the Mammoth can potentially grab an additional draft pick in this year's first round with a trade.
The Nashville Predators have three draft choices in the first round, with their first pick being right after the Mammoth at five. The 23rd and 26th overall picks belong to Nashville and could be used to move up for the preferred player by Nashville general manager, Barry Trotz.
If the Mammoth has several players graded high that could fall, then Armstrong could very well take a chance on trading the 4th overall pick and drop to 5th, while grabbing the 26th overall pick. Brady Martin is a player who had dinner with the Mammoth brass, and he is a player not ranked quite high enough to be chosen at 4th.
Martin is the one player in the draft with the nastiness of a Tkachuk brother, while also having a strong skill set. Moving back in the draft could give Armstrong the chance to choose the player he fancies while grabbing another draft asset that could be ready just as soon as Martin.
It may not be the most popular choice, but if Armstrong is taking a swing at free agency for a splash, obtaining more draft picks this year would be smart. The 2026 draft holds four picks for Utah in the first two rounds, so the franchise could be set up well for the present and the future.