The Western Conference's seventh place squad, the Utah Mammoth, just might the the most dangerous opponent, not named the Colorado Avalanche, for the Edmonton Oilers. The current postseason structure, which forces divisional play through the first two rounds, means in spite of a strong year, the Mammoth are a wildcard team, having placed behind three Western favorites (the aforementioned Avs, the Minnesota Wild, and the Dallas Stars).
This means that in all but the worst case scenarios, the Oilers don't have to face the big three Metropolitan teams until the Western Conference Finals, a good problem to have at that point, but they have a decent shot at facing the Mammoth. Either by leapfrogging the Vegas Golden Knights in the final game of the regular reason, or in Round 2, if the imperfectly constructed Golden Knights fall to the Mammoth.
These are not the hapless Coyotes
When Gary Bettman's lifelong mission to keep the Coyotes in Arizona finally failed, it meant something different than NHL expansion. This was a franchise with talented players who, due to multiple ownership groups' refusal to spend to the cap limit, were never equipped with teammates that could truly make them competitive. It shouldn't be surprising to anyone that the Mammoth are now a playoff team in Salt Lake City.
The Mammoth have a strong Top 6 forward group, and very competent defense corps as well. Kudos to previous Oiler amateur scouting staff, who identified and drafted John Marino in the sixth round. It's a shame the player never wanted to be an Oiler, because he's +42 on the season, and he gives the Mammoth impressive defensive depth alongside Mikhail Sergachev, Ian Cole, and Nate Schmidt.
Much like the hot young Anaheim Ducks, the Mammoth also have standout contributions from multiple young core pieces.
Strong up and down the lineup
While the Oilers' recently squandered the opportunity to lock up a divisional title, showing their overall lack of depth in light of multiple Top 6 injuries, the Mammoth look as though their steady lineup can roll out and score. They're plus 30 in goal differential on the season, compared to the Oilers' plus 8, and they would be the Pacific Division champs based on total standings points.
The single area where both teams look equally at risk is in the crease. An injury to either Connor Ingram, or Mammoth starter Karel Vejmelka puts the series outcome in doubt for that goalie's team. It's a sharp drop off in the Mammoth net, from the 38 win, 20 loss record, to Vitek Vanecek's 5-12. And while Edmonton could hope for a repeat of Calvin Pickard's 2025 Playoff performance, the Vanecek has only 2 playoff wins to his name in his whole career.
The ideal time to face the Mammoth, if the Oilers are forced to do so, is in Round 2. The franchise has had nothing one would consider postseason success, and a meeting in the second round should see some of that inspirational angst used up in a victory over the Golden Knights. It would also mean the Oilers have the services of Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman for the entirety of the series, tilting the offensive scales in their favour.
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