Mammoth Stretch Was A No-Brainer For John Marino – Hockey Writers –

Over the past few seasons, general manager Bill Armstrong has made it a priority to lock up his key players to long-term extensions. Since coming to Utah, he has signed Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Nick Schmaltz, Karel Vejmelka, and Jack McBain to contracts of five years or more.

The long term not only secures a player’s future in Utah, but also helps lower the average annual value (AAV) because it provides stability and guaranteed income over the long term. Armstrong compares it to a pizza that everyone has to share.

“As we move forward, you can see our team starting to have more players on our team sign long-term deals, and you have to be able to fit all the money,” Armstrong said. “I always say it’s like a big pizza, and everyone gets a little piece, and if someone eats too much pizza, not everyone eats.”

Tuesday brought John Marino a slice of that pizza for the next eight years, locking down one of the Mammoth’s most valuable defenders. With his contract expiring next summer and an eight-year contract only available until September, Armstrong wasted no time in signing the team’s most underrated defender.

Another Eight Years of Faithful Defense

Living in Utah was no problem for Marino. Although the defenseman didn’t rotate as much compared to others in the NHL, he was an asset to four different teams in his eight seasons. Marino was originally a draft pick for the Edmonton Oilers. His rights were traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he played for three seasons before being traded to the New Jersey Devils. After three more seasons, the defenseman found himself traded to Utah.

Stability is something many NHLers want. Sometimes, traveling all over the place from one group to another is not ideal, especially when you are old or raising a family.

That won’t be something Marino has to worry about with his new contract. His extension carried a no-movement/no-trade clause for the first four seasons, followed by a modified no-trade clause for the final four years.

Having that kind of job security is huge for Marino. His family doesn’t live in Utah but he likes to go out and see him play. Now that his future is set with Mammoth, planning a tour will be easy for the Marino family.

“It’s big, especially for my family that isn’t there anymore,” said Marino. “They can come out and tour. They have a few years ago, and they loved it. Just being around those kinds of people and how everyone was welcomed into the community. They were happy about it, too.”

Come next July, Marino would not sign a long-term contract with any team in the NHL, but again, choosing the option to stay in Utah was not easy. Why leave somewhere where you played your best hockey?

Last season, Marino was one of the best defenders in the league. He finished with a career-high 36 points thanks to a career-high 32 assists. While that number didn’t put him near the top of the leaderboard (Evan Bouchard finished first with 74 assists), what did was his plus-minus stat line. He finished as a plus-42, tied with Josh Manson for second among defensemen, while Sam Malinski finished first at plus-43. He was sixth in the entire NHL, with everyone ahead of him nominated for the NHL’s biggest award or the Colorado Avalanche winning the President’s Trophy.

Of course, plus-minus isn’t the best stat you can count on, but you have to watch him to see how good he is defensively. Marino doesn’t make mistakes often. He was fourth in giveaways among six Mammoth defensemen who played 60 or more games and third in takeaways.

Offensively, while Marino may not be known for scoring goals, he is known for moving the puck up well to help score goals. He was first among Mammoth defensemen in expected goals on ice % and second in assists per 60 minutes. That ability to help others produce makes many on the team want to be on the ice at the same time as Marino.

“He brings something different to our team,” Armstrong said. “He can move the puck. He’s a great puck player. If you just watch how often he gets out of the zone, he just puts it on the forward tape and moves it. He creates offense for us in the backfield. He’s had a big impact on our team.”

Not only did it make his game work, but it also helped create a great pairing with Nate Schmidt, who Marino was paired with for most of last season. The duo was in the NHL’s bottom 40 in goals against per 60 minutes. Even worse, Schmidt and Marino were tied for second most minutes together on that team, only behind Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen.

Schmidt was one of Mammoth’s biggest free agency signings last summer, coming off a season in which he proved he can still work well in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. Marino was coming off an injury-riddled season in which he never had a permanent partner on the blueline. There was a lot of uncertainty about the two and their roles with Mammoth, but eventually, the two parted ways. A combination that goes well together, like peanut butter and jelly.

“You could see the chemistry right away with Nate Schmidt,” Armstrong said. “They just move as one, and they’re so special to watch. It started with them right away. It’s good as we’re moving forward and becoming a better team here; you need pairs that really work together, and Nate Schmidt and Johnny Marino just fit together.”

A Bright Future Worth Being A Part Of

The highlights don’t end with Marino playing the best hockey of his career with the Mammoths. He is in a group that is yet to open the competition window. Last season was a big step for this team, it entered for the first time in history. Cooley and Guenther have shown major signs of growth, and rookies like Dmitri Simashev and Daniil Kodwa look promising. Mammoth also had a big summer, bringing in Anders Lee and trading for Vincent Trocheck. The future is extremely bright, something Marino is excited about.

“We have a lot to look forward to, especially from last year,” said Marino. “How strong this series was with Vegas, then they won their last Stanley Cup game. We saw how far they have come. We are a young team and we still have a lot to look forward to. It speaks for itself.”

When it came to MaMnyama’s side, it was nothing. Marino’s extension will take him until 2035, at the same time many key players’ contracts expire. It allows the team to continue fielding the same competitive team without worrying about players wanting to be promoted due to continued personal and team development.

Eight years may seem like a long time. However, how many other accessible players are top four defensemen on a team with as strong defensive stats as Marino? Why sacrifice goods for something you already have at some point? If you have a player like him who is a good fit and wants to be with your team, the smart idea would be to keep that player as long as possible. With the cap rising again, getting an eight-year deal before that option became permanent was the right move.

“The NHL is changing and weaving,” Armstrong said. “Young kids are signing five-year deals, and you see the offer sheets; it changes a little bit. If you can get the right player, you can bring them back on an eight-year contract, you believe in the player, and they can be good for the team for a long time, it really works. And Johnny, you fit right into that category.”

With an average annual value of $6.75 million (AAV), it’s not a very rich contract, especially considering the rising cap. Of the team’s top three defenders, it ranks him as the second highest paid, behind Mikhail Sergachev. It also allows the extra “pizza” Armstrong talked about to be shared with the final two pieces that will need to be locked up on expensive long-term deals over the next two seasons: Lawson Crouse and Clayton Keller.

If you’re a Mammoth fan, you should love this deal. Not only does the team retain one of their loyal and loyal defenders for the next eight years, but they also have a public that truly loves playing and living in Utah, and believes in what they are building.

“Ryan and Ashley, the work they’ve done to create a winning situation, a place where the players want to be, from the new practice area, to be on top of everything and do everything quickly,” said Marino. “I just saw today that Bill mentioned that the players are changing where they want to go. They want to come to Utah because of the special place they made it. The fan support and everything exceeded expectations. It was unbelievable.”

Marino is the type of player any team would love to have. Yes, his ability to move the puck is amazing, and he can play high minutes. However, more than that, he is the most lovable teammate that everyone loves to be around. To have that for the next eight years is exciting for everyone within the Mammoth organization.

“He’s a straight player every time he’s on the ice,” Armstrong said. “Good things happen, and he makes everyone better around him. That’s why you see the love in his teammates. I know when he signed, everyone on the team was happy just because. The forwards were very happy to have that puck for the next eight years on their tape.”

Bringing Marino back was an easy choice for Mammoth. Why take the easy decision on the road? The team wanted him, and he wanted to be in Utah. For everything the defender brought to Mammoth, sharing a slice of pizza for the next eight years was something Armstrong made sure was at the top of his to-do list this summer.