Utah’s Dylan Guenther Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury

Utah Hockey Club star winger Dylan Guenther will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, per a team announcement. Forward Josh Doan was recalled from AHL Tucson in a corresponding transaction, the team said.

Guenther, 21, did not miss a shift in Utah’s last appearance, a 4-1 loss to the Panthers on Wednesday. Whatever the injury, it now looks to keep him on the shelf for multiple weeks as Utah looks to make up ground in the Western Conference wild-card race.

Through their first 40 games in Salt Lake City, Guenther is Utah’s leading goal-scorer with 16. He’s added 18 assists for 34 points, on pace for a career-high 70 over a full season and placing third on the team in overall scoring.

So far, he’s had the year Utah hoped for after inking him to an eight-year, $57.14MM extension at the beginning of training camp. It was viewed as a gamble by most at the time with Guenther only having 50 points in 78 career NHL games under his belt with the Coyotes, who made him the ninth overall selection of the 2021 draft, but locking him in early to avoid paying more for his services later on appears to be a prudent move by general manager Bill Armstrong so far.

Guenther’s absence will be felt most on the power play, where he leads the team in goals with seven. He also leads Utah in total shot attempts (237) and has averaged 16:16 per game, fourth among forwards behind captain Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and fellow young star Logan Cooley.

Utah has been an above-average team by most metrics – controlling 53% of shot attempts and 52.5% of scoring chances at 5-on-5 while also boasting strong special teams percentages. Puzzlingly, actually getting the puck in the net has been their most pressing issue. Their 2.85 goals per game ranks 23rd in the league, and losing Guenther for an extended spell certainly won’t do anything to help that.

Up comes Doan, who will presumably replace Guenther in his second-line spot alongside Cooley and Jack McBain. The 22-year-old Arizona native made Utah’s opening night roster, posting a goal and an assist in nine games before being returned to Tucson.

He’ll get a more extended look now, during which Utah hopes he’ll produce at a rate closer to the nine points in 11 games he put up down the stretch last year with the Coyotes. The 2021 second-rounder has looked good in Tucson, where he ranks fourth in scoring with 21 points (8 G, 13 A) in 25 games.

Utah had an open spot on the active roster, so they don’t need to place Guenther on injured reserve to recall Doan. It’s now full, though, and he’ll likely be the first one to land on IR if they need another roster spot.