On Tuesday, Utah Mammoth General Manager Bill Armstrong announced that the club has signed defenseman John Marino to an eight-year, $54 million contract extension.
The massive new agreement carries an average annual value (AAV) of $6.75 million, securing the 29-year-old veteran through the 2034-35 NHL season and avoiding his scheduled unrestricted free agency next summer.
8️⃣ more years of Johnny!
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) July 21, 2026
We have signed defenseman John Marino to an eight-year contract extension. pic.twitter.com/FJG2S916Th
Since arriving in Utah via a 2024 trade with the New Jersey Devils, Marino has been a transformative presence on the Mammoth's back end. The extension rewards him for a career-best 2025-26 campaign where he formed one of the NHL's most dominant defensive pairings alongside Nate Schmidt. Marino set single-season career highs across the board last year, registering 36 points (4 goals, 32 assists) in 80 games.
Marino’s play helped the Mammoth qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time, finishing in the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The team gave the Vegas Golden Knights a run for their money in the first round, but ultimately fell to the eventual conference champions in six games. Marino posted one goal in the series.
In 443 regular-season games in the NHL, the 29-year-old has notched 23 goals and 134 assists for 157 points, with another seven points in 35 postseason contests.