The Utah Mammoth were one of the NHL’s biggest surprise teams a year ago, and with a bright young core combined with some intriguing veterans, they got aggressive this summer as they looked to build on their Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance last season, with the belief that they can compete with the heavyweight teams in the Western Conference.
This summer, the Mammoth have already added Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck, and with the team adding all of this experience, it’s clear that they believe they can take a step forward from the success in 2025/26. While locking down young players has been a priority, they can’t ignore the long-term stability that these veterans bring either, and now, it appears as though they’re working to lock up veteran John Marino long-term after he arrived in the teams first season in Utah.
John Marino Close to Signing Long-Term in Utah
GettyJohn Marino of the Utah Mammoth.
One player the team have had since their arrival in Utah is 29-year-old defenseman John Marino, and in 2025/26, the veteran blue liner put up career high numbers across the board. Appearing in 80 games, Marino posted 4 goals and 36 points to go along with a +42 differential, and after finding the perfect partner in Nate Schmidt, they became arguably the teams best defensive pairing as they reached the post-season for the first time since arriving in Salt Lake City.
Now, the Mammoth are set to reward him, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman announcing that the team are closing in on a massive eight-year deal with the 29-year-old that would keep him in Utah until the age of 37.
The deal, if it goes through, would carry a $6.75 million annual cap hit, and while that may have been an overpay in recent years, with the team wanting to lock up the core that led them to a 43-33-6 record a season ago, Marino makes sense as a long-term extension for the Mammoth.
Can the Mammoth Take Another Step in 2026/27?
With the arrival of Lee, Trocheck and other veterans along with the core of Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Nick Schmaltz and Lawson Crouse, this is a team that’s deep and talented at every position, and while they’re in the very tough Central Division, there’s no doubting that they’re set up for long and short term success in Utah.
This all comes on the back of the team giving up significant assets for Mackenzie Weegar, and with their pairings of Sergachev-Weegar, Schmidt-Marino and Simashev-Peeke, it’s one of the most balanced blue lines in the National Hockey League ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Ultimately, it always made sense for this team to want to extend John Marino long-term, and while the cap hit may be a little higher than most would expect, given the rising cap and the minutes that he’s consistently played in recent years, it’s a move that makes sense for the Mammoth, and with their young forward group mostly all locked in, look for them to take another leap in 2026/27.
Utah Mammoth Closing in on Massive Deal With Veteran Defenseman