The Edmonton Oilers may not be able to file the Utah Mammoth away as an easy matchup anymore.
A few better bounces late in the 2025-26 National Hockey League season, and Edmonton could have finished atop the Pacific Division with a Stanley Cup Playoff date against Utah. On paper, the Oilers had the edge, owning a 2-0-1 regular-season record against the Mammoth. But the version of Edmonton that lost to the Anaheim Ducks might have found Utah to be an even rougher draw.
Utah has started the 2026-27 season looking like a team ready to climb. The Mammoth are 5-2-0 and already sitting at a plus-8 goal differential through seven games.
That puts them third in the Western Conference, just one point behind the Oilers. It’s still early, and teams like the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild could reshuffle the standings as the schedule rolls on, but the Mammoth have done enough to make one thing clear: they are not a team to gloss over.
Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, and Clayton Keller are driving a Utah attack that has been firing away at a high volume. The Mammoth are averaging 31.3 shots per game, one of the key reasons their record has come together so quickly.
They’ve been just as sharp without the puck. Only the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are giving up fewer shots on goal, and Utah’s 23.0 shots allowed per game is a big part of that story.
For Edmonton, that means efficiency matters. The Oilers have been outshot by their last couple of opponents, and that kind of game can make it tough to lean only on star power.
Special teams could tilt things in Utah’s direction too. The Oilers have been taking more penalties lately, and the Mammoth’s power play sits second in the league. Utah has converted 34.5% of its chances, which means Edmonton probably can’t afford many trips to the box.
The flip side is there for the Oilers as well: their power play hasn’t quite hit its usual stride, but Utah can’t get careless either. The Mammoth would be inviting trouble if they start stacking up penalties against a group that has enough special-teams pedigree to punish them.
The Cup favorites are still out there, and Utah was not among the popular picks coming into the season. That hasn’t stopped the Mammoth from looking like a real problem already, and Edmonton should get comfortable with the idea that this former Arizona Coyotes team could turn into a dangerous postseason opponent.
In Other News...
Oilers Linked To Bold Tom Wilson Idea With One Big Catch
The Oilers have a familiar kind of offseason daydream attached to them again, this time involving a player whose style would fit their needs in a very obvious way. Tom Wilson brings size, edge and enough offensive punch to change the tone of a lineup, which is exactly why a right-shot winger of his type gets linked to a team like Edmonton when people start sketching out bold trade possibilities.
The catch is that the path to even making the idea workable runs through another club and another need entirely, with Tristan Jarry and the Rangers entering the picture because of their unsettled goaltending situation. Washington would also have to be open to considering Wilson only if its season went sideways, and even then the framework described is still just speculation, with draft picks and prospects part of the conversation but no confirmed trade talks to hang it on yet. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Fans Are Dreaming Big About One Rumored Flyers Blockbuster
A trade rumor making the rounds on social media has given Oilers fans plenty to chew on, with one proposed blockbuster sending Isaac Howard, a 2028 first-round pick and a third-round pick to Philadelphia for Matvei Michkov. It is the kind of idea that instantly grabs attention in Edmonton, where any chance to add a young, high-end talent naturally gets a second look, especially when the price appears to involve future assets and a prospect already drawing interest.
Still, the source behind the chatter is unverified, and there is no evidence the Oilers and Flyers have actually discussed anything along these lines. That has left most of the reaction in familiar territory for rumor season, with plenty of skepticism about the credibility of the report and plenty of debate over what such a move would mean for both clubs if it ever moved beyond social media speculation. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face An Early Test With One Lineup Choice Looming
The Oilers return to Rogers Place with Utah on the schedule, and the attention is not just on the opponent but on how Edmonton chooses to line up around it. The game brings another chance to sort through the numbers, the recent form, and the possible line combinations that could shape the night, especially with matchups likely to matter early and often.
Edmonton has spent plenty of time weighing how best to deploy its forwards, and this one feels like an early test of how the coaching staff wants to balance skill, pace, and matchup responsibility. Even the broader conversation around the team has been lively, with a recent sports talk show breaking down a range of topics, but for the Oilers the immediate focus is simpler: which lineup choice they make before puck drop, and what it says about how they want to attack Utah. [Read more 🡒]