The Utah Mammoth are heading into a season where they are expected to make the playoffs and an offseason where they’re expected to do something big, especially with the amount of cap space that they have. After the first day of free agency, the Mammoth find themselves with an improved team after handing out five contracts.

This is the first free agency where general manager Bill Armstrong has gone out and added some big names to help improve his team. It could be a free agency that ultimately helps the Mammoth not just make the playoffs, but one day go far in them.

Scott Perunovich

While Scott Perunovich might not be the biggest name signed by the Mammoth on Tuesday, he will help the entire organization in more ways than most think. The Mammoth certainly think so after signing him to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000.

Perunovich started the 2024-25 season with the St. Louis Blues, where he had been ever since getting drafted by the team in the second round back in 2018. The defenseman played in 24 games, recording six points. He mainly played on the bottom pair but often ended up as a healthy scratch.

Scott Perunovich will never forget his first NHL goal. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/ZHja8801Yx

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) November 10, 2024

With the addition of Cam Fowler, the Blues reshaped their blue line by trading a couple of defensemen, including Perunovich. The Blues traded him to the New York Islanders for a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick.

Related: Meet Caleb Desnoyers, Utah’s 2025 First-Round Pick

With the Islanders, Perunovich appeared in 11 games, recording three points. While he saw a bump in his average ice time to 19:02, the highest in his career, he failed to appear in a single game in the entire month of March.

The Islanders eventually chose not to give him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Mammoth then quickly snatched him up for their first free agent of the day.

Perunovich is a solid bottom-pairing defenseman who can easily step in and eat up minutes. At times, he can be a decent two-way player, as he’s shown in the American Hockey League with the Springfield Thunderbirds. That’s exactly what the Tucson Roadrunners need, as defense was an issue for them this past season, along with scoring from the blue line.

Perunovich has played in over 100 NHL games, so if the Mammoth need him up in Utah, he’ll easily slide in. It makes sense for the team, especially after last season when they suffered due to numerous injuries to their blue line. Armstrong did say he expects him to push for an NHL job, so it won’t be surprising to see the defenseman split time between Utah and Tucson.

Brandon Tanev

After trading Matias Maccelli to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Michael Carcone opting to go to free agency, and Nick Bjugstad signing with the Blues on Tuesday, the Mammoth needed at least one more piece to add to their bottom six. Enter Brandon Tanev, one of the best characters in the NHL.

Last season, Tanev played his fourth season with the Seattle Kraken, the team he had played with ever since being selected in the expansion draft. In 60 games, he had 17 points, the second most he had scored in his tenure with the Kraken.

With the team out of the playoffs heading up to the trade deadline and Tanev’s contract ending at the end of the season, the Kraken flipped the forward to the Winnipeg Jets. Tanev had actually begun his career with the Jets back in 2015.

In 19 games, Tanev had five points, helping the Jets win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Central Division title. In 13 playoff games across two rounds, he failed to register a single point but provided a physical presence to the Jets’ bottom six.

Tanev is a hard-working, gritty player who can kill penalties and provide a physical presence. He’ll protect the Mammoth’s younger players while also punishing the team’s opponents.

Brandon Tanev.

The short-handed specialist.