Not even Saturday’s lopsided loss at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers can really put a damper on the Utah Mammoth’s impressive start to the season.
Heading into Saturday, the Mammoth were well represented in the majority of the measuring-stick categories when it comes to classifying the NHL’s elite. Utah ranked in the top 10 when it came to goals for, goals against, shots on goal, and shots against. Nobody has created more high-danger chances than the Mammoth, and nobody has more regulation wins. Utah also boasts an incredibly balanced attack. It has 18 skaters who have at least two points, and 16 of them have scored a goal.
Despite a long and painful rebuild where the Mammoth didn’t land a number one pick or a generational superstar, slowly but surely the organization has been accumulating assets. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz have become difference makers, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther have blossomed almost simultaneously and savvy trades for players like Vincent Trocheck, Mikhail Sergachecv and MacKenzie Weegar have really rounded out the roster. The Mammoth are no longer a team on the rise, they have officially arrived.
Mammoth are a goalie away from being a championship contender
If there’s one flaw people will point to about the Mammoth, it’s their goaltending and you can understand why. Karel Vejmelka’s numbers don’t really jump off the page at you. He owns an .879 save percentage this season and an .899 over his career. Vejmelka’s goals saved above expected won’t blow you away either, as he ranked 29th out of 65 qualified goalies heading into Saturday. He’s essentially a league-average goalie who can be very inconsistent, which I suppose you could say about half the goalies in the NHL.
Six went past Vejmelka on Saturday against the Oilers, as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl put on a show. There’s a long lineup of goalies that have fallen victim to Edmonton’s dynamic duo, so there’s no shame in that, and it’s hard to fault Vejmelka too much on the multiple breakaways the Mammoth allowed. That said, goaltending is not simply about making the saves you’re supposed to. Sometimes you need to take your game to another level to help lift your team when they’re not at their best. Vejmelka may not be capable of that, but Connor Hellebuyck is.
If the Mammoth continue to play at this level, an elite goalie could put them into the championship conversation.
Overreaction? – No
There’s no reason Utah couldn’t upgrade at the position if they really wanted to. Hellebuyck is looking for a new home and the Mammoth have the cap space and the assets to make something happen. Plus, if the Winnipeg Jets want a goaltender back in return, Vejmelka only has a 10-team no-trade clause and Sebastian Cossa has no trade protection.
Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday that Hellebuyck could be able to rejoin the Jets on Friday, although that doesn’t mean he will. Maybe Winnipeg won’t want to disturb the locker room and pay him to stay home or perhaps a trade gets worked out by then. We know deadlines spur action.
The question is, how many chips do the Mammoth want to push into the middle this season? This is uncharted territory for a franchise that should now have real belief that they can beat anybody. If you watched Hellebuyck in the gold-medal game back in February, you know what a difference-maker he can be, and it would be a huge statement if the Mammoth were to make a play for him. The rest of the league is starting to understand how good Utah is, and making a splash to upgrade its roster would show that the Mammoth believe in themselves.
Connor will score 50 this season
Kyle Connor isn’t letting any off-ice distractions around the Jets slow him down. Connor is off to a torrid start, scoring eight times in just eight games and he’s found the back of the net in all but two contests. The Jets forward is one of the game’s great scorers and he’s proven it with a 47-goal season under his belt, but Connor has only hit the 40-goal mark once since 2022. This year feels different, though. The line of Connor, Mark Scheifele and Cole Perfetti are really clicking, as Winnipeg has been one of the most pleasant surprises in the early part of the season. If they can keep it going and given Connor's hot start, it does feel like there’s a world where he finishes with 50 goals.
Overreaction? – No
There are a few reasons Connor should have a real chance to get to 50 if he stays healthy. The first is his shot volume, which has greatly increased. He’s really putting an emphasis on shooting the puck and right now he’s averaging nearly five shots per game. That would put him well over 400 shots on the season. I don’t think that’s sustainable but getting to 320 or 330 sure seems plausible. The only other time Connor has broken 300 shots in his career is the year he scored 47 times.
Secondly, he’s feasting on the power play. Connor has already scored four times with the man advantage, putting him just one behind his total from all of last year. Winnipeg’s power play is ranked third in the league and is really clicking. Finally, Perfetti seems to be a real x-factor on that line and he’s scoring at a point-per-game pace himself. If Perfetti can attract attention from opposing defences, it’s only going to free up more space for Connor.
There are a lot of things like injuries and bad puck luck that could see Connor fall short of 50 again, though it does feel like the stars are starting to align for him to get there.
Fowler has taken the Canadiens crease from Dobes
One of the great stories last season for the Montreal Canadiens was the emergence of Jakub Dobes. The 25-year-old had a stellar 29-10-4 record and ranked in the top 10 when it came to goals saved above expected. He was really good in the playoffs as well, powering the Canadiens to a Conference Final run with a .908 save percentage. This year it’s been a completely different story, though. Dobes has struggled thus far, posting an .842 save percentage and just one win. He also sits 63rd out of 65 qualified goalies in goals saved above expected.
Thankfully for the Canadiens, youngster Jacob Fowler has really stepped up when called upon. Fowler has won three of his four starts, with all of his wins coming in games that went beyond 60 minutes. That includes one where he recorded a 30-save shutout. Right now, Fowler is clearly the hotter of the two netminders and his numbers have remained at a high level throughout stops at Boston College and Laval of the AHL. If Dobes doesn’t regain his form quickly, could we see Fowler completely take over the crease?
Overreaction? – Yes
I can’t really see a situation where Fowler takes the job and runs with it all season. He still only has 21 NHL appearances under his belt and the likelihood of his play not dipping over a long 84-game schedule is slim. The reality is Montreal will likely operate out of a tandem system for the majority of the year and at some point, I’d expect Dobes’ play to bounce back, giving the Canadiens two decent options to turn to. This start from Fowler is just a nice bonus for Montreal and a signal he could be ready for more playing time. It’s likely Fowler ends up with more starts this year than maybe many were forecasting, but expect Dobes to continue to be a big part of the Canadiens plans in net.
Rangers can stay in the playoff hunt without Shesterkin
After a hot start that gave New York Rangers fans plenty of hope for the 2026-27 campaign, everything came crashing down when Igor Shesterkin was lost for the season with a knee injury. Most people didn’t have the Rangers pegged for a playoff spot this year and the few that did likely saw the path to the post-season paved by Shesterkin carrying the team on his back. The good news for New York is it has banked some points early and currently sits in a good spot in a division that appears really wide open after Carolina and Washington. We saw the Pittsburgh Penguins improbably carry a hot start right through to the post-season a year ago, so maybe the Rangers could do the same.
Overreaction? – Yes
It’s going to be very challenging for the Rangers to keep up this pace without Shesterkin. They’ve picked up some big wins so far over teams like Tampa Bay and Utah, but Thursday’s thrashing at the hands of the New Jersey Devils illustrated how low their floor is when the Rangers aren’t at their best. New York isn’t as deep as some other powers in the East and as good as Dylan Garand has been, and he’s been great, he can’t play at a level like Shesterkin can to bail the Rangers out consistently when they need it. Garand’s numbers have been excellent but he’s only middle of the pack in goals saved above expected right now. There’s going to be a lot of nights like Thursday when Garand is hung out to dry and he won’t be able to compensate for New York’s underwhelming play. It’s been an admirable start for the Rangers but I’d be surprised if it has long-term staying power.
Sennecke will be on the next Team Canada roster
We were finally treated to some incredible best-on-best hockey with the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Olympics and before you know it fans will already be projecting rosters for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey. One name that’s gaining some steam around the league is Beckett Sennecke. The 20-year-old has gone from a surprised third-overall pick to an impact player in just a couple of years. Sennecke delivered a 60-point season as a rookie and is now scoring over a point per game this season with the Anaheim Ducks. There’s a bit of an edge to his game, too. At six-foot-three and 208 pounds, Sennecke could have the perfect blend of size and skill that would make him a fit for Canada’s roster in 2028.
Overreaction? – No
I think there’s a real possibility Sennecke makes this team if he continues to develop on this trajectory. Canada will certainly look to get younger after their veteran roster fell just short of gold in Milan, with no guarantee of forwards like Mark Stone and Brad Marchand returning. That would open the door for Sennecke and young up-and-coming players to grab a spot. One would think Connor Bedard will make the team and expect other young talents like Dylan Guenther and Wyatt Johnston to push for a spot as well, but Sennecke should certainly also be in the mix. Given injuries and roster turnover, there should be a handful of spots up for grabs on the next Team Canada and I expect we will be hearing Sennecke’s name as a real consideration leading up to the tournament.
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