Trocheck, Lee add veteran presence for Mammoth

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2026-27 regular season, which starts Sept. 29. Today, the Utah Mammoth:

2025-26 season: 43-33-6, fourth in Central Division; lost in Western Conference First Round

Key arrivals

Vincent Trocheck, F: Waived the no-trade clause in his contract to approve a move from the New York Rangers on July 1. The 33-year-old had 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) in 67 games last season and three assists in six games to help Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. … Anders Lee, F: Signed a three-year contract July 1 after 14 seasons with the New York Islanders, the last eight as captain. The 36-year-old had 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) in 82 games last season. He and Trocheck add grit, experience and leadership to a young group. … Andrew Peeke, D: Signed a one-year contract July 3 after he had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 77 games for the Boston Bruins last season. The 28-year-old has 75 points (16 goals, 59 assists) in 386 games for the Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets over seven NHL seasons. … Sebastian Cossa, G: Signed a two-year contract June 30 after he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings on June 26. The 23-year-old has appeared in only one NHL game, playing 45 minutes for Detroit in 2024-25, but was 26-8-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and five shutouts in 39 games for Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League last season.

Key departures

JJ Peterka, F: Traded to the Boston Bruins on June 26 for a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a conditional first-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. Peterka had 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) last season, ranking fourth in goals for the Mammoth in his only season with them. He had no points in six Stanley Cup Playoff games. … Sean Durzi, D: Traded to the Rangers on July 1 as part of the package for Trocheck. Durzi had 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 90 games over two seasons in Utah. … Alex Kerfoot, F: Signed a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators on July 1. He had 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) in 115 games over two seasons in Utah. … Ian Cole, D: Signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1. He had 40 points (four goals, 36 assists) in 164 games over two seasons in Utah. … Vitek Vanecek, G: Signed a one-year contract with the Islanders on July 1 after going 5-13-3 with a 2.93 GAA, .883 save percentage and one shutout in 22 games (19 starts) last season, the his only season in Utah.

On the cusp

Dmitri Simashev, D: The No. 6 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft had one assist in 28 games for Utah and 35 points (eight goals, 27 assists) in 40 games for Tucson of the AHL last season. The 21-year-old is expected to play a full-time role in the NHL this season. … Daniil But, F: The No. 12 pick of the 2023 draft had seven points (three goals, four assists) in 29 games for Utah and 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) in 41 games for Tucson last season. The 21-year-old will have a chance to push for playing time in the NHL this season. … Caleb Desnoyers, F: The No. 4 pick of the 2025 NHL Draft had 78 points (22 goals, 56 assists) in 45 games for Moncton of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League last season. General manager Bill Armstrong said the 19-year-old center will have a chance to make the NHL roster this season. … Tij Iginla, F: The No. 6 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft had 90 points (41 goals, 49 assists) in 48 games for Kelowna of the Western Hockey League last season. Like Desnoyers, the 19-year-old will have a chance to make the NHL roster this season. … Gabe Smith, F: Selected in the fourth round (No. 103) of the 2024 draft, the 19-year-old center had 77 points (34 goals, 43 assists) in 60 games for Moncton last season. … Maveric Lamoureux, D: The No. 29 pick of the 2022 NHL Draft has four points (one goal, three assists) in 20 games for Utah and 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists) in 107 games for Tucson over the past two seasons. Smith and Lamoreux are expected to add to the internal competition in training camp.

What they still need

Armstrong said the Mammoth likely are done with offseason maneuvering. Keep an eye on defensive depth and backup goaltending during the season. Simashev and Cossa have high upside but little NHL experience.

They said it

"There are some big pieces for us that we're really excited about just adding to our group. I can't tell you that we're perfect. I can't tell you that we're not going to try to add something else. But right now I like our team where they're at, and I do believe it takes a little bit of time as they come together during the course of the year to find that chemistry, so we're still going to have to get some of the kinks out of our team, because we have added some new pieces to it." -- Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong

EDGE stat to watch 

Forward Dylan Guenther, who had NHL career highs in points (73 in 79 games), goals (40), shots on goal (242) and ice time per game (17:24) last season, also had elite shooting metrics among forwards; long-range shots on goal (40; sixth), midrange goals (17; tied for eighth), long-range goals (three; tied for 10th), midrange shots on goal (97; 97th percentile), high-danger goals (16; 92nd percentile), average shot speed (61.40 mph; 93rd percentile) and hardest shot (91.39; 89th percentile). The 23-year-old also ranked highly at his position in 20-plus mph speed bursts (217; 97th percentile), 22-plus mph bursts (14; 94th percentile) and max skating speed (23.02 mph; 85th percentile). -- Chris Meaney

Fantasy spin

The veteran additions of Trocheck and Lee give the Mammoth added scoring depth, and each of those forwards provides plenty of fantasy category coverage. Since 2021-22, Lee is one of seven players with at least 120 goals (124), 900 shots on goal (990) and 600 hits (607).  During Trocheck's tenure with the Rangers (2022-26), he was one of two players with at least 250 points (253), 700 shots on goal (756) and 700 hits (764); the other was Brady Tkachuk. Both Trocheck and Lee should be attainable outside the top 120 overall, making them potential fantasy draft bargains. -- Pete Jensen

Projected lineup

Clayton Keller -- Nick Schmaltz -- Vincent Trocheck

Anders Lee -- Logan Cooley -- Dylan Guenther

Lawson Crouse -- Barrett Hayton -- Michael Carcone

Jack McBain -- Kevin Stenlund -- Kailer Yamamoto

Mikhail Sergachev -- MacKenzie Weegar

Nate Schmidt -- John Marino

Dmitri Simashev -- Andrew Peeke 

Karel Vejmelka

Sebastian Cossa