The Utah Mammoth kept busy on Wednesday, adding another established scorer to a forward group that suddenly looks a lot deeper.
After landing center Vincent Trocheck in a blockbuster trade with the New York Rangers, Utah announced it has signed former New York Islanders captain Anders Lee to a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5.4 million.
Lee arrives after a 42-point season in which he played all 82 games for the Islanders, who came up just short of a Stanley Cup Playoffs berth after a strong start. The Minnesota native has been remarkably durable lately, appearing in all 82 games in three of the past four regular seasons and missing just one game in 2023-24.
The biggest offensive season of Lee’s career came in 2017-18, when he scored 40 goals and finished with 62 points. Ranked No. 10 among the top 50 free agents on July 1 by Matt Larkin, Lee brings a reputation as a strong net-front presence who creates high-danger chances around the crease.
For Utah, the fit is obvious. Lee adds another left-side scoring option to a group that now features Logan Cooley, Nick Schmaltz and Trocheck through the middle, with Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther on the right wing.
Bill Armstrong has never been shy about making aggressive moves, and the additions of Trocheck and Lee on the same day give the Mammoth a forward unit that looks far tougher to handle once the games get tighter.
In Other News...
Utah Keeps Kevin Stenlund In A Move Fans Will Debate
Kevin Stenlund is staying in Utah after re-signing with the Mammoth on a one-year deal that raises his cap hit to $2.75 million. For a player whose game has been built on reliability more than flash, the move gives Utah some continuity from a veteran who has carved out a steady role through stops in Columbus, Winnipeg, Florida and now Utah.
Stenlund played 80 games for Utah last season, another sign the club valued his dependability in the lineup. He enters the next chapter with 46 goals and 90 points across 368 NHL games, and while the deal settles one question for the Mammoth, it also invites the familiar debate over how much a depth center should cost as the roster keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Former Coyotes Forward Just Got A Fresh Chance To Prove Himself
Alex Kerfoot is getting another crack at carving out a meaningful role, this time in Nashville after the Predators added the veteran center on a two-year deal. The 31-year-old left shot brings a long track record to the table, including time with the Arizona Coyotes before the franchise's move to Utah, and a career rsum of 305 points in 639 NHL games.
For a Predators team trying to push back into playoff contention after back-to-back missed postseasons, that kind of versatility has value. Kerfoot has spent enough time around the league to know how quickly a roster can change, and Nashville is banking on his experience translating into steady minutes and useful depth as it tries to get itself back on track. [Read more 🡒]
Coyotes Draft Pick Takes A Big Step Toward North America
Vadim Moroz is officially moving a step closer to North America, after the Utah Mammoth announced the forward has signed a two-year, entry-level contract. The 22-year-old has spent the past four seasons with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, where he built a rsum that included a league All-Star Game nod and a run of personal scoring milestones.
For Arizona fans still tracking the organizations draft pipeline, Moroz remains one of the more interesting names from the 2023 class, when the Coyotes took him in the third round. His path has been established overseas for now, but this deal adds a new layer to the question that always follows a drafted player with KHL experience: when does the transition from prospect to NHL contender really begin? [Read more 🡒]