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Sean Durzi

Mammoth To Activate Sean Durzi Off IR

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The Utah Mammoth will see the return of defenseman Sean Durzi in Wednesday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, head coach Andre Tourigny told Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Durzi sustained an upper-body injury in the second game of Utah’s season. He has sat out of 21 games since. The Mammoth will need to activate him off of injured reserve before Wednesday’s game, but already have a roster spot availabel for his return.

This is the second year that Durzi has started the year with a long-term absence due to an upper-body injury. He sustained a shoulder injury in October of last season that required him to undergo surgery. The injury held Durzi out of the lineup until February, and limited him to only 30 appearances on the year. He was a core part of the Mammoth lineup when he was healthy, netting 11 points and a plus-four while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time every night. He also recorded 52 blocked shots, which ranked fifth on the blue-line and seventh on the team despite Durzi missing more than 50 games.

He seemed to be stepping right back into that role this season. Durzi played nearly 21 minutes in Utah’s season-opener, and recorded two blocks, one hit, and no scoring. He ramped up in their second game, recording one point, two blocks, and two hits in 17 minutes of ice time before getting injured.

Durzi has only been able to show Utah fans a glimpse of his impact through two seasons with the Mammoth. He had a standout year in his first year with the organization – the 2023-24 season, prior to the Arizona Coyotes’ move to Utah. Durzi scored a career-high 41 points in 76 games that year, while also posting career-highs with 63 penalty minutes and 160 blocked shots. He racked up 65 points, 105 penalty minutes, and 263 blocks in 136 games with the Los Angeles Kings prior to his move to Arizona.

Durzi is an established, top-four defender when he’s at full health. He’ll now get a chance to bring that impact to a Utah lineup in need. The Mammoth have won their last two games, but only have four wins through their last 13 games. They have allowed the 10th-most goals in the NHL (44) in that span, and the eighth-most on a per-game average (3.38).

Injury Updates: Stolarz, Durzi, Cernak

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Toronto Maple Leafs starting netminder Anthony Stolarz has been out with an upper-body injury for a little over a week, and at the moment it’s unclear at what point he’ll be fit to return to the ice. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told the media today, including the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan, that Stolarz’s injury was “worse than we thought” and that at this point he does not have a timeline for Stolarz’s return to the ice.

While Berube did go on to add that “maybe tomorrow” Stolarz will be back on the ice, it doesn’t sound as though anything related to his recovery is set in stone. The Maple Leafs could certainly use a healthy Stolarz back on the ice and playing at his best. The team currently sits 27th in the NHL with a 9-9-2 record and averages the second-highest goals-against per game. Stolarz has an .884 save percentage in 13 games this season, but performed much better last year with a .926 save percentage in 34 games.

More injury updates from around the league:

  • The Utah Mammoth are set to get one of their better defensemen back from injury. Cole Bagley of KSL Sports relayed word from head coach Andre Tourigny that injured blueliner Sean Durzi is now considered out on a day-to-day timeline and is nearing a return to the ice. Durzi returned to practice in a regular jersey today, having missed all of the Mammoth’s games since their Oct. 11 contest against the Nashville Predators. Injuries also limited Durzi significantly in 2024-25, as he got into just 30 games. The year before that, he was highly effective, scoring a career-high 41 points in 76 games.
  • When Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak stepped onto the ice for practice this morning, most observers assumed he’d be fit to play in the team’s game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. That didn’t come to fruition though, as his injury kept him from taking on the Oilers tonight, meaning he’ll miss a second game with an undisclosed ailment. Cernak has been Tampa Bay’s No. 4 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, averaging 19:05 time-on-ice per game including 2:48 on average on the penalty kill, second-highest on the team.

Sean Durzi Out Four Weeks With Upper-Body Injury

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The Utah Mammoth have taken a big blow to their defensive core a handful of games into the 2025-26 season. According to a team announcement, defenseman Sean Durzi is expected to miss the next four weeks with an upper-body injury.

Injuries are slowly becoming a theme for Durzi in Salt Lake City. After playing in 76 games for the Arizona Coyotes in the 2023-24 campaign, Durzi only appeared in 30 games last season for Utah due to shoulder surgery. Unfortunately, his current injury is related to the same shoulder.

If the recovery timeline provided is exact, Durzi will miss the Mammoth’s next 11 games and would hypothetically return for their November 8th contest against the Montreal Canadiens. Fortunately, despite only having two additional right-handed defensemen, the Mammoth have eight blueliners on the active roster and should be able to fill in the void left by Durzi without any additional roster moves.

Still, without Durzi for the next several weeks, and having traded Michael Kesselring this past offseason, Utah doesn’t have much offensive talent on the point behind Mikhail Sergachev. By no means is it vital to have offensive prowess from the point, especially considering the team’s impressive crop of forwards, but it’ll certainly be a limitation over the next month.

Despite missing much of last season, Durzi provided quality two-day play for Utah. He provided four goals and 11 points in his 30 appearances, averaging 20:39 of ice time while blocking 52 shots. He again maintained above-average possession metrics, finishing with a 52.9% CorsiFor% at even strength.

Although the injury happened to the Mammoth’s defensive core, it may have a larger impact on the team’s forward group. Typically dressing seven defensemen for games, head coach André Tourigny may have to change his approach if depth defenseman Nick DeSimone doesn’t perform well in Durzi’s absence.

Latest On Utah’s Trade Deadline Plans

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The Trade Deadline is less than a week away and the bubble surrounding it appears ready to burst. There’s plenty of trade buzz circulating in the league, headlined by the Utah Hockey Club’s continued efforts to try to figure out their deadline approach. The Hockey Club was split between buyer and seller status during the 4-Nations Face-Off break, but general manager Bill Armstrong has now shared that the team won’t sell if they stay in playoff contention per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Utah has been on a heater since returning from break, posting a 3-1-0 record and outscoring opponents 13-to-eight. They’re also outshooting opponents 128-to-80, or an average of 32-to-20 per game.

Utah’s surge forward seemed inevitable. They’ve faced injuries to many of their key contributors and notable summer additions this season. That includes burly defender Sean Durzi, who missed four months with a shoulder injury sustained in Utah’s fourth game of the season. Durzi averaged a team-high 25:34 in ice time and recorded two assists through the year’s first three games. That includes a 29-minute performance in his last full game before getting injured. He’s scored two points in four games since returning on February 22nd – though he’s not yet back to his October ice time. In getting Durzi back, Utah effectively added a free top-four defender to a lineup that was already in contention for the Western Conference’s second wild card.

Utah has inched closer to that wild card with their recent hot streak. But Armstrong claiming the team won’t be sellers at the deadline doesn’t mean they’ll be free of action. The divide between winger Matias Maccelli and a routine lineup spot is growing wider over Utah’s last few games. He hasn’t played since February 8th, as pointed out by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the latest 32 Thoughts. Friedman adds that the undersized Maccelli could find his spark with a trade away from the team – a claim that’d certainly have teams around the league excited.

Maccelli has just 18 points in 52 games this season, but he broke out as a strong, young playmaker over the last two years. Maccelli recorded 38 assists and 49 points in 64 games of the 2022-23 season – his first full year in the NHL – and followed it up with 40 assists and 57 points in 82 games last year. He’s still just 24 years old, and would likely be an exciting upside buy should a team convince Armstrong that he’s expendable.

While they might not look thrilling on paper, Utah has found a lineup that works this month. They are glaringly shallow at center, where Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain fill the middle-six roles – but it’s hard to point out a weakness anywhere else. Utah’s wingers have performed up to par and the return of Durzi brings some much-needed weight behind Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino on defense. With a gust of wind behind their sails, any of Utah’s moves would likely focus solely on beefing up their bottom three forward lines. They’ll have the money to pursue whoever they’d like on the open market – with a projected $28.52MM in deadline cap space, per PuckPedia.

That much cap space is bound to weigh down a wallet, and Armstrong’s indication that the team won’t sell assets could be a subtle indication that they’re looking to lean heavily into the post-break success.

Evening Notes: Utah, Samoskevich, Morrissey, Harley

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The 4-Nations Face-Off championship has full grip of the hockey world’s attention, but there’s still plenty of buzz circling the NHL. The updates start with the Utah Hockey Club, who will be somewhere between buyers and sellers at this year’s Trade Deadline per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.  Armstrong added that the team would be interested in adding, but many of their weaknesses are addressed by recent additions like Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Kevin Stenlund, and Nick DeSimone. That certainly paints the picture of a team eyeing defensive depth, but the return of top-four defender Sean Durzi could mitigate any insecurities.

Durzi has been out of the lineup since October 14th with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He played four games in a top-pair role before falling to injury – recording two points, a plus-two, and over 21 minutes in average ice time. The 26-year-old emerged as a legit top defender in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2022-23 season. He scored 38 points in 72 games and averaged roughly 20 minutes that year – his second NHL season. Durzi continued to improve with the Arizona Coyotes last year, improving to 41 points in 76 games and over 22 minutes of ice time. This year seemed to be a chance to continue growing before it was derailed by injury. How he returns from the prolonged absence, and what impact it has on the Utah blue-line, could go a long way towards determining the Hockey Club’s deadline approach.

Across the NHL, Florida Panthers youngster Mackie Samoskevich has shared he’ll be clear to play when the team returns on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich was injured on February 6th – his first game back from a three-game absence due to illness. He missed an additional two games with the injury, but found his way back to full health during the 4-Nations break. The 22-year-old Samoskevich has 17 points in 48 games this season – marking the first scoring of his NHL career.

In other news, Team Canada was forced to scratch Josh Morrissey in the 4-Nations championship due to illness. He was replaced by injury fill-in Thomas Harley, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Harley was eligible to play despite not being on the initial lineup as Morrissey’s illness, and Shea Theodore’s upper-body injury left the team without six healthy defenders. Harley scored his first point of the tournament in the finals after playing in both matchups against Team USA. Morrissey also didn’t post any scoring during three tournament games – though he does have an impressive 46 points in 56 NHL games this season.

Utah To Activate Sean Durzi From Injured Reserve

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Utah is set to activate right-shot defender Sean Durzi from injured reserve before Saturday’s game against the Kings, head coach André Tourigny told reporters (including Brogan Houston of Deseret News) yesterday evening. Utah’s active roster currently has a maximum of 23 players, so they must make a corresponding move before activating him.

Durzi, 26, made it four games into the 2024-25 season before requiring right shoulder surgery in October. He was fresh off a career-best 32-assist, 41-point year with the Coyotes that led to a four-year, $24MM extension from Utah one day before he was set to reach restricted free agency last offseason.

He’ll return to the lineup after a four-month absence against his former team. Durzi skated his first two NHL seasons in Los Angeles, who acquired his signing rights from the Maple Leafs in the 2019 Jake Muzzin trade. He immediately solidified himself as a top-four option after making his NHL debut in 2021, averaging 19:42 over 136 games with the Kings and recording a 12-53–65 scoring line with a -21 rating. While he was already their secondary power-play option behind Drew Doughty and still had room to grow, younger names in the pool, like Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence, made him expendable. Halfway through a two-year, $3.4MM bridge deal with the Kings, L.A. traded him to Arizona in the 2023 offseason for a second-round pick.

It was a prudent move for the now-Utah-based franchise. Durzi was the Coyotes’ bona fide No. 1 defenseman in his lone season in the desert, leading skaters in average ice time with 22:43 and notching 41 points in 76 games. His defensive impacts exploded, too. His +3.1 expected rating led the team, and his 52.2 CF% at even strength finished second among qualified skaters behind Barrett Hayton. Established as a genuine top-pairing threat, Utah general manager Bill Armstrong got him some help on the trade market last offseason by picking up top-four stalwarts Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino.

Utah will have all three of those names in the lineup for the first time this season on Saturday. Marino didn’t make his season debut until mid-January after undergoing back surgery at the same time as Durzi. The former will hold down top-pairing duties alongside Sergachev. At the same time, Durzi will be eased back into the lineup in a third-pairing role alongside presumably Olli Määttä, Houston relayed from yesterday’s practice.

Durzi had two assists and a plus-two rating through his first four games in Utah before a hit from Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler put his season on pause. Utah is six points behind the Canucks for a wild-card spot and stands as a conservative seller on deadline day as things stand. Still, a fully healthy defense with another offensive weapon in Durzi could fuel a hot streak to put them back in the postseason conversation. The Western Conference’s mediocre depth means Utah only has Vancouver and the Flames to jump for a wild card spot, so their playoff chances still check in at 15.8%, according to MoneyPuck. Those could jump to north of 20% with a regulation win against Los Angeles.

Snapshots: Ullmark, Milano, Utah

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While Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark was supposed to get the start in tonight’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale for Sweden, that’s no longer the case.  Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson first reported that the netminder is sick and won’t suit up versus Team USA.  With Filip Gustavsson leaving Saturday’s game early with an illness as well, it will be Samuel Ersson who gets the nod.  Ullmark was widely expected to be Sweden’s starter for this event but will wind up playing in just two periods overall, taking the overtime loss versus Finland.  The outcome of this game will have no bearing on Thursday’s final as that will be a matchup of Canada and Team USA after Canada won their game in regulation this afternoon over Finland.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Sammi Silber of The Hockey News relays that while Capitals winger Sonny Milano was skating in a non-contact jersey before the 4 Nations break, he’s still a ways away from returning to the lineup. The 28-year-old suffered an upper-body injury in his third game of the season and hasn’t played since.  Assuming he’ll see some time with AHL Hershey on a conditioning assignment, it’s possible that Milano won’t be back until after the trade deadline when roster maximum sizes are no longer in effect.
  • In an interview with Craig Morgan on Utah HC’s team site, GM Bill Armstrong indicated that there’s a chance that they could have all their injured players back coming out of the break. Center Logan Cooley suffered a lower-body injury at the end of January while blueliner Sean Durzi (shoulder) has been out since mid-October; getting both of them back would be a big boost for their attack.  Meanwhile, defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) has missed more than a month while goalie Connor Ingram left the final game before the break with an upper-body issue so it appears they’re close to returning as well.
  • From that same interview, Armstrong suggested that Utah has already done most of its team building already from the summer and early-season trade activity so the team is “already built to some degree”. They have six games left before the trade deadline and are six points out of the final Wild Card spot so being buyers would be a bit of a surprise.  With that in mind, instead of team building, they could be doing some trimming with centers Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Bjugstad, blueliners Ian Cole and Olli Maatta, and goaltender Karel Vejmelka among the long list of pending unrestricted free agents this summer.

Afternoon Notes: Kulich, Stolarz, Savage, Durzi

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The Buffalo Sabres cleared up space in their bottom six by placing winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel on waivers. After the team’s practice, head coach Lindy Ruff shared that the decision was influenced by how well 20-year-old Jiri Kulich has performed as of late, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Ruff elaborated that the team will face a roster crunch with Jordan Greenway expected to return to practice soon. An undisclosed injury has forced Greenway out of 28 of Buffalo’s last 32 games.

Through the weeds of roster moves, this news shines a spotlight on Kulich. The young center recorded the first three-point game of his career last Tuesday, and was promptly awarded with the most ice time of his career on Thursday. Kulich didn’t manage any scoring, but made sure to find the scoresheet in Buffalo’s Saturday game – scoring one goal on a career-high seven shots. He’s playing much more confident and determined than he was earlier in the year, and the Sabres seem ready to reward him with a hardier role and a chance to prove his worth.

Across the Atlantic Division, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told media after practice that he won’t hold back goaltender Anthony Stolarz if he’s healthy before the league breaks for the 4-Nations Face-Off, captured in a video from TSN. Stolarz participated in his first full practice after missing the last 21 games with a knee injury. He’s been upgraded to day-to-day and nearing a return, but will have just five chances left to return before the Leafs go on a two-week break.

Stolarz effectively leads the league in save percentage among goalies with 10-or-more games played. He’s recorded a .927 through just 17 games this season, backed by a stout 9-5-2 record. Stolarz seemed to be the reliability in net that Toronto had been seeking, but his untimely injury has put the team in a challenging spot. The Leafs have been outscored 70-to-69 since Stolarz’s injury, though they’ve still managed a 12-9-0 record. His return will be hotly anticipated as, hopefully, the catalyzing piece of a second-half run in Toronto.

Traveling south of Toronto, Michigan State Spartans captain and Detroit Red Wings prospect Redmond Savage has suffered a season-ending injury, Spartans head coach Adam Nightingale told local reporter Conor Earegood of Detroit News Sports. Savage’s season will end with 11 points in 20 games – a dip in scoring pace from his 27 points in 38 games last season, but still a better pace than his two years at Miami University of Ohio. Detroit drafted Savage in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, but haven’t yet signed him to his entry-level contract. They will lose his rights next summer if he doesn’t sign.

Finally, out in the plains of the Western Conference, Utah Hockey Club defender Sean Durzi returned to the team’s practices on Tuesday. Durzi has missed Utah’s last 45 games with a shoulder injury. Head coach Andre Tourigny joked about the defender’s return to Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune, saying that Durzi looked a bit rusty but that the team is incredibly excited to have him back. Utah signed Durzi to a four-year, $24MM contract this summer, but he’s so far only played four games on the deal. He was still productive enough to illicit excitement in the brief showing – recording two assists, seven penalty minutes, and a +2. Durzi will likely return to a role on Utah’s second pair, once he eases his way back to full practice.

Snapshots: Capitals, Bruins, Durzi, Fines

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The Capitals are believed to have held preliminary talks about contract extensions with pending UFA goaltenders Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson, reports Pierre LeBrun in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link).  The two have combined for a 2.42 GAA and a .912 SV% on the season despite having a combined cap hit of under $2MM, by far the NHL’s most economical tandem.  Both players are in line for substantial raises and could plausibly push for closer to $10MM combined on their next deals, a price tag Washington might not be able to afford.  LeBrun notes that the team is treading carefully in discussions, not wanting to risk disrupting chemistry if one gets an early deal and the other doesn’t while they also have defenseman Jakob Chychrun to contend with as a pending UFA who will need a considerable raise as well.  Knowing that, it might make more sense for them to prioritize getting Chychrun signed first and deal with the netminders later on.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Bruins team president Cam Neely spoke with reporters today (video link) and acknowledged that it won’t be business as usual when it comes to the trade deadline. Often a strong buyer leading up to deadline day, Neely admitted that the team is going to have to consider two paths, one where they’re a buyer and another where they retool.  Boston has struggled this season but enters play today holding down the first Wild Card spot in the East.  But even if they hold onto that over the next little while, it might not make sense for them to make a big addition for a team that could be in tough to get through the first round.
  • After getting John Marino back last night, Utah will have to wait a while for their other key missing blueliner to return. Head coach Andre Tourigny told reporters including Cole Bagley of KSL Sports (Twitter link) that there’s a good chance that they’ll have defenseman Sean Durzi back for the last month of the season.  The 26-year-old had his best performance in 2023-24, notching 41 points in 76 games but he suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth game, keeping Utah without a key rearguard for most of the season.
  • The NHL announced that Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic has been fined just under $2K (his maximum allowable under the CBA relative to his salary) for a cross-checking incident in last night’s game against Florida. Meanwhile, the league also announced that Utah center Jack McBain was fined a little under $4.2K for a high-stick on Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher last night.  The fines go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

John Marino And Sean Durzi Full Participants At Team Practice

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Injured Utah Hockey Club defensemen John Marino and Sean Durzi were full participants at team practice today (as per Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports). Houston also added that Utah head coach Andre Tourigny believes that both players are still on their original timelines, meaning that they probably won’t be in the lineup during Utah’s homestand, although Marino looks to be closer to returning than Durzi.

The update is welcome news for Utah as injuries have depleted their back end this season, particularly in the cases of Marino and Durzi who have combined to play just four games and were expected to shoulder large workloads this season.

Marino has yet to play for Utah after coming over in a summer trade from New Jersey. The 27-year-old has been sidelined since the start of the regular season with a lower-back injury. Marino had back surgery in late October and will need a reasonable amount of time to get himself into game shape. However, his shedding of the no-contact jersey is certainly an encouraging sign for Marino and Utah. Marino fell out of favor in New Jersey last season. However, he endured very difficult deployment with the Devils and still managed reasonable possession numbers, posting a CF% of 51.1% despite starting 55% of his shifts in the defensive zone.

Durzi has seen some action this season, dressing in four games back in early October. The 26-year-old suffered a shoulder injury in an October 14th game against New Jersey and was thought to be lost for a period of 4-6 months. Given that he is practicing in a regular jersey this early, it seems likely that Durzi will return in the early or middle part of the 4–6-month timeline.

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