According to a team announcement, Utah is extending defenseman John Marino for a long time, First reported by Elliotte Friedman
The Mammoth signed the 29-year-old right-shot to an eight-year, $6.75MM AAV contract to remain in Utah. This extension makes Marino one of four NHL players who are signed through the 2034-35 season. The deal is all salary, starting with a full No-Movement Clause in 2027-28, which then transitions to a No-Trade Clause in 2028-29 to 2030-31, and then it’ll move to a Modified No-Trade Clause for the remaining four years of the contract, with a 16-team no-trade list from 2031 to 2033 and then an 8-team no-trade list for the last two years, according to Puckpedia.
He was set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer and is entering the final season of a six-year, $26.4MM ($4.4MM AAV) contract that was inked back in 2021.
“We view John as a foundational piece of our future,” said GM Bill Armstrong, via the press release, “His ability to control the game from the back end, his play in transition and our trust in him to make the right decisions in critical situations allows him to be a difference maker on most nights. Beyond his skill, John brings a level of calmness under pressure that our group feeds off of, and that’s exactly what you need from your veteran players.”
Marino finished the 2025-26 season scoring four goals for 36 points in 80 games, a career-high season in scoring in his +400 game NHL career. He added a point in Utah’s six-game first-round series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He ended up with a 62.1% goals for percentage while maintaining 20 minutes of average time on ice.
His +29 goal differential alongside Nate Schmidt at 5-on-5 was the highest mark of any defensive pairing last season. As a top-4 defenseman, he solidifies the Mammoth’s blueline for years to come behind MacKenzie Weegar on the right side.
He tied for second among NHL defenseman with a +42 rating with Josh Manson of the Colorado Avalanche, only behind Sam Malinski of Colorado.
The Mammoth acquired Marino from New Jersey back in 2024 in exchange for two second-round picks, where he spent two seasons with the Devils. Before this past campaign, New Jersey was where he last participated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022-23, playing in 12 games and scoring four assists in his age 25 season. Before that, he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2019 until 2022, where he emerged in making the team out of his first camp after his college days at Harvard University on a two-year, $925K AAV contract.
Pittsburgh traded him then due to their abundance of defensemen on the right side in the first year of his current contract to free up money.
After spending his six years on a one-way contract across three different teams, the North Easton, MA native has found a home out west who will be paid handsomely for his services, $54MM to be exact until he’s 38-years-old in 2035, as a defenseman who brings stability in his stickwork and awareness in his breakouts.