Utah RFA Victor Söderström Changes Representation, May Sign In Europe
Utah RFA defenseman Victor Söderström is switching representation as he tries to land a contract for next season. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports he’s dropped his agent, which PuckPedia shows was Darren Ferris at Quartexx Management. Morgan also reports that Söderström, whom the Coyotes drafted with the 11th overall pick in 2019, may opt to play in a top-level European pro league this season rather than re-sign with Utah.
Last week, Morgan reported that Utah was also examining trade options for Söderström’s signing rights. Like his other Coyotes teammates last season, Söderström’s contract was bought as part of the deal that saw the Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group officially acquire all of the Coyotes’ hockey operations assets last month.
It’s the second time Söderström has changed representation. The Swedish blueliner was originally represented by JP Barry at CAA when he signed his entry-level contract five years ago but switched to Ferris at Quartexx early last year.
Söderström, 23, failed to land a full-time NHL role with the Yotes despite having ample opportunity over the past few years. Arizona had one of the league’s thinner blue lines in its final years of existence, but Söderström actually saw his NHL time dwindle last season. He played a career-high 30 games in 2022-23, all coming in the back half of the campaign, leading most to believe he’d at least work his way up to steadier bottom-pairing duties in 2023-24. However, he was demoted to AHL Tucson to begin the season and was recalled just twice throughout the year, logging three appearances with a -1 rating while going without a point.
The 6’0″, 190-lb defender has been a stable offensive presence in Tucson since coming to North America. He had a career-high 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 62 games with the Roadrunners last year, but it wasn’t a big breakout. His 0.52 points per game average was in line with what he’s put up since arriving in 2021.
Once projected to be a defensively sound, cerebral talent, Söderström’s unexpected one-dimensionality has largely been what’s kept him from landing more NHL minutes. He’s posted a career -47 rating in 170 games with Tucson, and while that differential has improved every season since joining the Roadrunners, it only culminated in a career-high -8 last season. It was still the worst rating among Tucson defenders and second-worst on the team behind right-winger Austin Poganski‘s -11.
But if he believes he’s ready for regular NHL action and will get buried by Utah next season, it makes sense why he’d look for more minutes in Europe or prefer a trade elsewhere (although an official trade request hasn’t been reported). After general manager Bill Armstrong traded for John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev and picked up Ian Cole in free agency, Söderström likely won’t have a spot in Utah’s opening night lineup. He’d have to leapfrog one of Michael Kesselring or Juuso Välimäki during training camp, which is an unlikely scenario.
Because they issued him a qualifying offer last month, Utah would retain Söderström’s NHL rights if he opted to head overseas. They’ll control his rights until his 27th birthday, which isn’t until February 2028. He could likely find a home with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League, whose system he played in from 2015 to 2020.
Utah Exploring Extension Or Trade With Victor Söderström
The Utah Hockey Club is reportedly exploring the possibility of either an extension or a trade of defenseman Victor Söderström, shares Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). Söderström is Utah’s only remaining restricted free agent after the team extended both Barrett Hayton and Egor Sokolov last week.
Söderström’s contract is a bit harder to work out. The 2019 11th-overall pick failed to earn a consistent NHL role on his entry-level deal. He’s instead muddled between the NHL and AHL lineups, with his playing time becoming somewhat of a spectacle for Coyotes fans. Söderström has spent plenty of time with the NHL roster since his debut in 2021, though routine healthy scratches have limited him to just 53 games since. He’s done little with the chances, netting just one goal – scored in his third career game – and 10 assists at the NHL level. He similarly struggled to score in the AHL early in his career, with just 50 points through his three seasons and 108 games in the minor leagues. Söderström started to buck that trend this year, though, playing through his first full season spent in one spot since 2019-20. He posted nine goals and 32 points in 62 games with the Tuscon Roadrunners this season – career-highs in every category.
It was a promising year for the 23-year-old defender, even if his stat line didn’t jump off the page. Still, fans got a strong glimpse of what Söderström offers at a top level. He showed a strong ability to champion transition up the ice, with heads-up passing and strong positioning, helped along by an improving ability to close down opponents as they enter the attacking zone. While not high-scoring, Söderström showed he could bring those positives on a nightly basis, underlined by added confidence in stepping into space in the offensive end.
Söderström showed glimpses of a former blue-chip prospect this season, though he still seems far off from vindicating his top-15 draft selection. There are reasons to hold onto hope, though, as he showed distinct improvement under a consistent role. Matching that at the NHL level could pay dividends – and Utah has an open spot on their second pairing that Söderström could push for. But he’ll face distinct competition from Michael Kesselring, Juuso Valimaki, and top prospect Maveric Lamoureux for the role – having already lost a fight for minutes with the former two last season.
That competition is enough to have Utah gauging that Söderström may garner on the open market. It’s hard to think many teams would be quick to pay up for a former top prospect yet to vindicate his draft capital – nor is Utah likely too eager to make a move that won’t favor them with a signing still a possibility. This has all of the makings of trade winds bound to drag on for a while, but with an attractive offer, a new team could land the talents of a former top pick with plenty of room to grow next season.
Central Notes: Hayton, Soderstrom, Kumpulainen, Stars
After an aggressive start to the offseason the Utah Hockey Club still has some work to do regarding a pair of restricted free agents. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports Utah is closing in on a deal with forward Barrett Hayton and there has been no progress towards a new contract for defenseman Victor Soderstrom.
Hayton looked to be moving into the second-line center position for the 2023-24 NHL season after posting strong numbers in 2022-23. The former fifth-overall pick scored 19 goals and 43 points for the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes in 82 games while achieving a 51.1% success rate in the faceoff dot. Unfortunately, the 2023-24 season was not as kind to Hayton as he wasn’t able to get much consistency while dealing with injuries. In a major step backward in his development, Hayton posted three goals and 10 points in 33 games even while starting his shifts in the offensive zone 56.6% of the time.
Soderstrom spent most of the year with the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. In 62 games at the AHL level, Soderstrom scored nine goals and 32 points which tied him in fourth on the team in scoring and first amongst defensemen. The former 11th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft may be serviceable as an extra defenseman on a revamped Utah blue line for the 2024-25 NHL season but could become a trade candidate towards the end of the offseason. Soderstrom has proven to be a quality offensive defenseman in the minor leagues and may be looking for a legitimate opportunity at the NHL level which has not come yet.
Other Central notes:
- The Minnesota Wild have loaned prospect Rasmus Kumpulainen to the Lahden Pelicans of the Finnish Liiga where he is also signing a two-year contract according to the team. Minnesota drafted Kumpulainen with the 53rd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft out of the Pelicans’ farm system where he had spent all of his professional career. The young Finnish prospect spent last year with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League where he scored 28 goals and 56 points in 58 games and will now return to his hometown team to continue his development.
- In a ‘first-of-its-kind’ move from the Dallas Stars organization; the team announced it had severed its ties with Diamond Sports Group for broadcasting the team’s games on television and will enter a seven-year agreement with A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC). In conjunction with the new broadcasting agreement, APMC and the Stars organization have set up a new streaming service named VICTORY+ which will allow in-market fans of the team to stream the games for free. In regards to the new methods of distributing game content, President of the Dallas Stars and CEO Brad Alberts said, “After years of researching the right solution and careful planning with our partners at APMC, we’re proud to announce this pioneering streaming platform that will literally change the game for sports distribution on VICTORY+“.
Transaction Notes: Dzingel, Regenda, Shea, Soderstrom
The AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Henderson Silver Knights, have signed veteran forward Ryan Dzingel to a professional tryout agreement, according to a team announcement. Playing within the Carolina Hurricanes organization last season for the Chicago Wolves, Dzingel has not yet suited up in a game during the 2023-24 season.
Last year with the Wolves, Dzingel played in a total of 22 games, scoring two goals and 11 points overall. Once a premier scorer in the NCAA with Ohio State University, Dzingel has seen his offensive capabilities tail off by quite a bit over the last several seasons.
Although it seems like it was longer ago, it has only been five years since Dzingel put up back-to-back 20-goal seasons with the Ottawa Senators. Now, the Silver Knights will be hoping that Dzingel can recoup some of his goal-scoring talents, as they currently sit bottom-five in the American Hockey League in goals scored.
Other transactions:
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled forward Pavol Regenda from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, per a team announcement. It will be the second call-up for Regenda this season, with the first one coming less than a week ago before the trade deadline. In his only game with the Ducks on the year, Regenda played over 12 minutes of that game but was unable to put any points on the scoreboard.
- After Jonathan Gruden cleared waivers this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to recall another player to fill out their roster. With that in mind, the team has recalled defenseman Ryan Shea from their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Suiting up in 22 games for Pittsburgh this season, Shea has received bottom-pairing minutes while producing a -2 rating overall.
- Recalling him from their AHL affiliate on March 8th, defenseman Victor Soderstrom‘s time with the Arizona Coyotes has come to an end for the time being. The team announced they have sent Soderstrom down to the Tucson Roadrunners after playing two games for the Coyotes on this recent stretch. On the year, Soderstrom has mostly played for the Roadrunners, scoring eight goals and 25 points over 50 games.
Arizona Coyotes Recall Victor Soderstrom
The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Victor Soderstrom from the minor leagues. This move comes in response to a lower-body injury to Troy Stecher that’s expected to hold the defender out for four-to-six weeks.
Soderstrom has spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, leading the team’s defensemen in scoring with 21 points in 38 games – a mark that also ranks fourth on the team as a whole. He also scored 21 AHL points through 44 games last season, adding nine points in 30 NHL games. His stint with the Coyotes last season brought his career total up to 50 NHL games and 11 career points. He is one of 11 players from the 2019 NHL Draft’s First Round to play in 50 or fewer career NHL games, though Soderstrom and Los Angeles Kings prospect Alex Turcotte are the only in the top 15 in that category.
Soderstrom’s recall brings much-needed depth to a Coyotes lineup currently facing injuries to six different lineup players. This includes Stecher and Matt Dumba, with the latter dealing with an undisclosed ailment and an undisclosed timeline. The Coyotes have had to turn to Michael Kesselring and Josh Brown to fill-out the blueline. Kesselring is playing out his rookie NHL season, boasting 11 points in 28 games, while Brown has quietly become a long-running veteran of the top league, with four points in 25 games this year bringing his career totals to 28 points in 264 games.