Cooley, 21, appears to be Utah Mammoth’s budding franchise center — and one way or another, he’ll get paid as such.
Logan Cooley is entering “blank check” territory.
According to Frank Seravalli, one of the most trusted NHL insiders out there, Cooley turned down a contract extension from the Utah Mammoth that would have paid him $76.8 million over the next eight years ($9.6 million AAV).
— Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) October 6, 2025
It’s a revolutionary point in time in the NHL. The salary cap is rising at unprecedented rates, so everyone is getting paid more than they did before, from the players all the way up to the owners.
Kirill Kaprizov, for example, just signed the most lucrative contract in NHL history: $17 million annually for eight years.
Luke Hughes and Jackson LaCombe, who are both closer to Cooley’s age, both just signed deals with a $9 million average annual value, spanning seven and eight seasons, respectively. It wasn’t that long ago that the big-name UFAs were getting that kind of money, while pending RFAs were lucky to get long-term deals at all.
Cooley is in a prime position to ask for precedent-setting money. Before reaching his 21st birthday, he’d already had two productive seasons in the NHL, with major growth from one year to the next. He’s shaping up to be a number-one center — one of the hardest positions to fill in hockey — so that boosts his stock even more.
If he can go out this season and show even more improvement, the sky is the limit on his next contract.
Even having not skated in the last week, Logan Cooley is unreal.#TusksUppic.twitter.com/WdPR2oCy07
— Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) September 30, 2025
“I do not anticipate a Logan Cooley extension materializing — at least as I understood it today — before the season opens," Seravalli said Monday morning in the premiere episode of his new hockey show, “Frankly Speaking.” “I think the Utah Mammoth understand what it’s going to take in order to get the deal done, and I haven’t heard of any traction moving that forward just yet.”
A year ago, Cooley saw his teammate, then-21-year-old Dylan Guenther, sign an early extension at maximum term. While $7.14 million is life-changing money, there’s little question Guenther would have gotten more if he’d waited a little longer.
Guenther said he hasn’t given Cooley any advice on negotiation, other than to be grateful for this opportunity.
“Growing up, you love hockey and you want to play hockey, and to be in the position that you’re in, you’re super fortunate,” Guenther said. “So, I think just be grateful for everything that you’ve earned, but also that the people around you have helped you with.”
Cooley told the Deseret News that he has left the negotiation to his agents, Brian and Scott Bartlett, to this point.
“For me, it’s all about just this season,” he said. “Helping this team get to the playoffs and gearing up for that I want to dominate. I want to be the best player I could possibly be. so, (I’m) kind of leaving that to the agents.”
He also made sure to note that he has no intentions of leaving Utah.
“Obviously, I love it here, but (I’m) just focused on this year for right now.”
I’m not sure which setup is filthier: Logan Cooley’s soccer pass or the Raising Cane’s jerseys.
— Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) August 8, 2025
(Via Title Wave Sports on IG)#TusksUp@TitleWaveSportspic.twitter.com/I1iaoq81fq
Who is Logan Cooley?
Cooley is one of the most promising young players in the NHL. At an age where most guys are still playing in junior, college or the minors, he scored 65 points in the NHL (while missing 10 games due to injury).
He’s also growing into an important defensive role for the Mammoth. It’s a job that takes time to excel at, but the coaching staff has heavily emphasized developing him in that area of the game. They put him on the ice for plenty of important face-offs, penalty kills and defend-the-lead situations in hopes that he’ll be truly elite in those aspects when the Mammoth are ready to contend for the Stanley Cup.
“Each year, I’ve taken a step, and this is no different,” he said. “I want to take an even bigger step and increase that (point) total even more. I’m motivated. I’m hungry. I want to become one of the best players in this league, and I’m excited to continue to get better and to continue to put in the work to make sure I accomplish it.”
Category: General Sports
