While the Penguins dropped to 11th in the draft, the rest of the lottery was noteworthy because two teams made significant leaps forward in the draft order. The Islanders moved up nine spots to first overall, and the newly named Utah Mammoth moved up 10 places to fourth overall.
While the Islanders' miracle jump is getting most of the headlines and rightfully so, imagine if the Chicago Bears selected first overall in the 2025 NFL draft? However, the Utah Mammoth also jumped ten spots to fourth overall and this is the pick I want to focus on.
"A Game Changer Pick"
These are the words Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong uttered after the draft lottery and he is right because this selection provides several avenues for the Utans (as Elliotte Friedman called them this year) to travel. They could keep the pick and get a top-tier prospect, or they could use this selection for other purposes.
Utah could also trade this pick. Around the trade deadline, Utah was the one team many people assumed was going to make a move for a player like Dylan Cozens or Jordan Greenway. They ultimately held firm and had a quiet deadline, and held onto their young assets, and they have a lot of them.
Everyone probably remembers the previous iteration of this team as the bumbling Arizona Coyotes. The Mammoth are no longer that team; they scored 89 points last year, finishing seven points behind the St. Louis Blues. This may not be impressive, but if they played in the East, they would have been the first team out of the playoffs. Utah is really close, and they should go big game hunting to try and get over the edge and make the playoffs and make a run.
Trade Rickard Rakell to Utah.
If you have read my previous articles on trades the Pens should make with current playoff teams (you should, they are fun), you will notice I suggest Rickard Rakell in several trades. Some of you may think "Does Nick hate Rakell so much he wants to ship him out?" No. I love him as a player, but the Penguins are not a threat for the postseason and Rakell has significant trade value that can help the Pens long-term.
The Sidney Crosby era is almost over, and is Rakell a player that can be the face of the Penguins franchise? Absolutely not, so the Penguins need to think about preparing themselves for the day Crosby either leaves or retires.
The Trade.
Forgive me, the trade software we use has not updated, so imagine that wolf is a wooly mammoth.
Why would Utah do this?
For Utah, this trade has upside. Rakell is a legit scorer and would complement their young players such as Logan Cooley, Josh Doan, and Dylan Guenther very well. Also, how long until the fourth overall pick sees the ice in Salt Lake City? Probably in a couple of years, Rakell will help them immediately. Also, in this trade, Utah still keeps a first-round selection because the teams are swapping selections.
Benefits for Pittsburgh.
For the Penguins losing Rakell would hurt, but here is the upside, at number four they will be able to draft a stud such as James Hagens or Porter Martone, most likely. The Pens have done a better job of late improving the prospect pool, but they still lack that elite top-end prospect, and they would get one at fourth overall. They also will still have a second first-round selection because it is widely assumed the Rangers will give up their pick to us this year instead of an unprotected 2026 first.
The Penguins would also get a good defense prospect in Duda who scored 29 points last year in the AHL. The Pens' prospect pool on defense is bad to say the least so they need to take a chance and add a good blueline prospect like Duda.
Utah also has other young defense prospects such as Dmitri Simashev and Maveric Lamoureux, so one of them may be available for trade since there is no way all three will be on the NHL team at the same time.