The Utah Mammoth are on the rise. After some lean years in Phoenix and Arizona throughout a rebuild, the franchise has been rejuvenated by the move to Utah, coinciding with its young players emerging as budding stars in the NHL.
An 89-point 2024-25 season was the best they had seen since the 2013-14 campaign as the Phoenix Coyotes, and it was led by their young core. One of, if not the most important piece of that nucleus is star center Logan Cooley.
The 2022 third-overall pick took a massive step in year two, racking up 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) in just 75 games, which puts him in a position of power heading into the final season of his three-year, $2,850,000 entry-level contract.
Mammoth beat reporter Brogan Houston certainly sees it that way and shared his thoughts on how Cooley should approach negotiations in an article for Deseret News Sports.
“Cooley already has two full NHL seasons behind him. He’s among the youngest full-time players in the league, and he’s already close to a point per game (and his defensive game is elite, too). Once he catches up to his competition in age, experience, and stature, he could very well be a top-10 player in the league… There’s no question he could sign in the $8-9 million range right now, but what could he get if he waited a while?” Houston wrote.
“It would take an absolute dud of a season (or a major injury) for Cooley’s value to decrease at all, so the risk in betting on himself is low. If he’s above a point per game a few months into the season, he’ll have a case to ask for more money, and if he accomplishes big things over the course of a full season, maybe he’s in a position to get real superstar dough,” Houston added.
Having just turned 21 years old in May, the ceiling for Cooley appears to be sky high. As Houston went on to mention, general manager Bill Armstrong would love to lock up his franchise centerman right now before the price gets even higher than it already is.
However, the smart play for Cooley and his camp is to be in no rush, letting next season dictate how much more he could earn on a long-term extension. The addition of star winger JJ Peterka, along with continued development from Cooley himself, points towards another leap in production in year 3.
