Mammoth’s offseason additions will make their biggest impact in the playoffs

The Utah Mammoth are looking to solidify themselves alongside the upper echelon of the Western Conference. The players they added this past offseason are there to do just that.

After a tough loss in the first round to the Vegas Golden Knights last spring, the Mammoth realized they needed a little more veteran experience in their lineup, with a little bit more snarl. They found that in players such as Anders Lee, Vincent Trochek and Kevin Stenlund, three players who can prove to be pivotal pieces when the action ramps up in the spring.

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to discuss how the Mammoth’s offseason acquisitions will be impact players down the line.

Cole Bagley: They’ve been awesome. I think they’ve been exactly what the doctor ordered. When Utah went into the offseason they kind of took a long, hard look in the mirror. They really analyzed that first-round series loss to Vegas. They wanted to know what happened, right? I mean, they were up 2-1. They were seconds away from going up 3-1. They were minutes away from going up 3-2. They ultimately los that series 4-2. What they recognized and came to terms with is that they needed to be harder to play against. They needed to be bigger and stronger and more difficult. They had to score some more greasy goals. When I kind of did a deep dive into the analytics of it, I don’t remember the exact numbers, but essentially, I think Vegas outscored Utah in terms of greasy goals in front of the net. It was like something like 14-5, like it was heavily in favor of Vegas, and that’s why Vegas came back in that series, right?

So, they went out and they got a big guy like Anders Lee, who’s made a living in the NHL in and around the net. Same with Vincent Trocheck, a guy who’s not quite as big, but he plays a similar style, right? He’s gritty. He’s nasty. He’ll get under the skin of the of the opposition, and that’s what they’ve done so far. They brought their experience. They brought that calmness to the bench. I think that they’ve brought a lot of perspective.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…