The Utah Mammoth lost 1-0 to the St Louis Blues on Saturday, continuing a rough stretch after an excellent start. Utah has now lost ten of its last 13 games, falling out of the Western Conference playoffs. The Mammoth lost Logan Cooley in the course of the matchup after an injury from a success. But NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported Sunday that he could have avoided the worst-case scenario.
“Feels like [Mammoth’s] Logan Cooley dodged a bullet – initial finding was that Cooley has a quad contusion. Cooley is getting MRI imaging to substantiate there isn’t a knee damage, that’s the hope. He was in a position to walk to the team bus on his own power postgame,” Seravalli reported.
Cooley has been centering the second line with Kailer Yamamoto and Dylan Guenther for the Mammoth throughout the season. His 14 goals and nine assists before the injury earned him an eight-year contract extension price $10 million per 12 months.
The Mammoth are within the early stages of a five-game road trip that would determine their playoff fate. Each of their last three losses has been by one goal, and losing Cooley wouldn’t help their offense find that goal. If the MRI does confirm Seravalli’s report, Utah shall be right back within the playoff conversation. But their elite young center missing time shouldn’t be an excellent recipe.
Secondary to the NHL concerns are the Olympic concerns this injury presents. Team USA is incredibly injured, with Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, and Connor Hellebuyck all out. That would see younger players, like Cooley, get a possibility on the Olympics in February. If he doesn’t miss much time, his campaign could pick up right where he left off.
The Mammoth are back in motion on Monday as their road trip continues against the San Jose Sharks. They need a win to get back on course.