Utah Mammoth sign Nick Schmaltz to 8-year deal, top 2026 NHL UFA now Darren Raddysh
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Daniel Lucente
Mar 11, 2026 (12:34)
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Photo credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
PuckPedia dropped the punch first, Nick Schmaltz is signed and Darren Raddysh now sits atop the 2026 UFA points race with 58.
Utah confirmed it Wednesday, Nick Schmaltz is staying on an eight-year deal worth $8 million AAV through 2033-34. No public clause detail was attached in the team release.
That matters because real centers with touch rarely hit July.
Schmaltz had 59 points, 24 goals and 35 assists in 65 games when the deal landed. He was playing 19:42 a night and driving real offense from the middle.
For teams already sketching summer wish lists, this is a door slamming shut.
Utah paid for fit as much as production. Schmaltz can carry entries, find late trailers and keep top-six shifts from dying along the wall.
He also gives the Mammoth lineup insulation for the next game and beyond, because Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller do not have to drag every hard matchup by themselves.
Nick Schmaltz changes the Utah Mammoth summer map
Fans around the league will read this and groan, because the best UFA forwards are supposed to reach market, not disappear before the snow melts.
That is the bigger leaguewide angle here.
Schmaltz was the kind of target contenders could justify at the deadline or in July, a playmaking center-wing who upgrades a man advantage and settles a shaky second line.
Now he is off the board, cleanly.
PuckPedia's dashboard shows the new reality, and it is jarring that a right-shot defenseman in Darren Raddysh now headlines the summer scoring list with 58 points.
Utah did not just keep a good player. It kept one of the few pending UFAs who could have changed a contender's cap plan, trade board and July 1 mood in one stroke.
That is why this signing feels bigger than one market, and why the next milestone is simple, can Utah turn this commitment into meaningful spring hockey this and next season?
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| POLL | ||
MARS 11|92 ANSWERS Utah Mammoth sign Nick Schmaltz to 8-year deal, top 2026 NHL UFA now Darren Raddysh Did Nick Schmaltz coming off the market change the 2026 NHL free agent class? | ||
| Yes | 50 | 54.3 % |
| No | 42 | 45.7 % |
| List of polls | ||