Early trade(s) Utah HC must make during 2024-25 season
Utah Hockey Club has gotten off to a nice start in its inaugural season. After moving from Arizona , the expectations were fairly low considering the rough end to the Coyotes run. But a new city has injected new life into the young roster. They are .500 despite losing seven of their last nine games, a slide that has come due to injuries. Utah HC should kickstart their season with another trade for a defenseman to improve their depth.
Utah general manager Bill Armstrong welcomed the franchise to Salt Lake City with two significant trades for defensemen. He picked up Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino in the offseason to stabilize the blue line. Unfortunately, Marino has not played this season because of back surgery he got in October. Then, Sean Durzi went down and had surgery of his own. Both players are out for months.
Armstrong did not sit back amid these injuries. He made a trade with the Detroit Red Wings to pick up Olli Maatta. The former Pittsburgh Penguins was moved for a third-round pick and immediately drew into the top pairing. While Maatta is a nice pickup, his contract expires after this season so he might not be included in the future of Utah HC.
This solid start to the season should show Armstrong and owner Ryan Smith that this core is worth building around. As part of their cataclysmic rebuild, the Coyotes stocked the cupboard with draft picks for Utah to move. Picking up a franchise defenseman through trade would be a brilliant move for Utah.
Possible defensemen to trade for
Many of the options for mid-season trades are pending free agents. The reality of the NHL trade market is that players under contract usually do not move during the year. While there are players they could add this offseason, they should be more focused on free agency during that time. Each of these players could sign a long-term extension to stay in Utah after the trade. While that is true for Maatta, he is not a top-four guy, which is what they should be aiming for.
The first option, which is the biggest long shot, is Noah Dobson. The Islanders are going nowhere fast this season, as they have scored the fewest goals in the league, and Dobson will be a restricted free agent. Since he signed his RFA contract in 2022, his defensive zone play has not been spectacular. The contract won't be cheap because agents love points and Dobson picked up 70 last year, but Utah can afford it.
The Islanders should be headed to a deep rebuild of their blue line. They have aging pieces surrounding Alexander Romanov and Dobson, who have both struggled. If Utah HC blows them away with a trade that involves a first-round pick, they could deal the defenseman this season.
A more likely trade candidate is Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The veteran will be 28 this offseason and is hitting unrestricted free agency. Despite the Blue Jackets' nice start, they are still floating Provorov in trade talks . He will come in at a manageable price and can be re-signed.
Potential plan for Utah HC's first trade deadline
Utah HC is currently right on the competitive bubble. There is a long way to go before the March 7 trade deadline, but if they are outside of the playoffs on that day, they should sell. It is the first season in Utah and the fans have bought in based on exciting forwards and goal-scoring. The trade for a defenseman would be for the future, but adding picks in the short term will be important too.
Forwards like Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Bjugstad and goalie Karel Vejmelka could all be on the move if Utah sells. While those are all strong players, the early-round picks they could receive for those players will be more valuable. It is easy to forget that this is still the Coyotes, who felt years away from contention just last season.
If they are in the playoffs, a soft buy would be smart. Adding another top-end defenseman for just the remainder of the season, picking up a star goalie, or adding a goal-scorer would be wise. Bringing playoff hockey to the Delta Center would be a surefire way to keep fan interest. But Utah HC cannot sacrifice the future to do it.
