Mammoth bolster D, acquire MacKenzie Weegar from Flames

The Utah Mammoth acquired MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames for fellow defenseman Olli Maatta, forward prospect Jonathan Castagna and three second-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft.

The second-round selections are from the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators as well as the Mammoth's own pick.

Weegar, 32, had to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate the deal.

He has 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) and is averaging 23:07 of ice time in 60 games this season. He also has a league-worst minus-35 rating.

"It's a great trade in the sense of adding another great D-man to an already pretty strong defensive core back there," Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said. "He brings a wealth of experience. I think what we love about him is his ability to move the puck. He's a gamer. Someone that shows up every night, plays a physical brand of hockey. Not the biggest D-man in the world, but he's got a great brain. When you have a D-man like him that can move the puck back there, it creates offense to your forwards. They can get the puck in motion and can attack and we're a pretty fast team now so this adds another defenseman to our lineup that's going to make an impact."

Playing in the third season of an eight-year, $50 million contract, Weegar has 272 points (62 goals, 210 assists) in 610 career games with the Florida Panthers (2016-22) and Flames.

Maatta, 31, has one assist in 22 games this season.

A two-time Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh, Maatta has totaled 196 points (42 goals, 154 assists) in 783 career games with the Penguins (2013-19), Chicago Blackhawks (2019-20), Los Angeles Kings (2022-24), Detroit Red Wings (2024-25) and Mammoth.

Castagna, 20, was selected by the then-Arizona Coyotes in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He has 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 29 games at Cornell this season.