Central Notes: Jets, Maroon, Bichsel, Carcone
The Winnipeg Jets are entering the Trade Deadline with little bargaining pieces but plenty of cap space. That’s the set up for some low-cost lineup tinkering, with left-defense the most glaring issue on the roster. That hole could draw the Jets towards open market options like Boston’s Brandon Carlo or Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak, per Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press. Both players carry a cap hit below $5MM. Oleksiak’s deal expires at the end of next season, while Carlo has two years left and a modified no-trade clause.
The added security and movement protection could make Carlo a tough fish to catch. Oleksiak will likely be much more expendable for the right price. The 32-year-old defensive-defenseman has been a focal point of the Kraken blue-line over the last four seasons. He’s averaging 19 minutes of ice time through 60 games this year, while posting 13 points, 14 penalty minutes, and a minus-eight. That stat line is largely in-line with what Oleksiak has managed in three prior years in Seattle – routinely floating between 15 and 20 points and negative plus-minuses, all while serving from a carved out role on the second pair. Oleksiak is six-foot-seven, 250-pounds and patrols the defensive end with a long reach and heavy physical presence. Winnipeg has tried to net the same impact from players like Logan Stanley – one of the only NHLers as tall as Oleksiak – but to little avail. Stanley has just nine points, 72 penalty minutes, and a plus-10 in 47 games on Winnipeg’s bottom-pair. Any upgrade they make will be solely focused on improving that third-pair’s standing as the Jets plan for a very late season.
Other notes from the Midwest:
- The Chicago Blackhawks have kicked the door to the Trade Deadline wide open by swapping defender Seth Jones for goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round pick. All signs point towards the Hawks continuing to sell as the deadline draws closer – with pieces like Ryan Donato, Alec Martinez, and Petr Mrazek all on the block. But of their aged veterans, winger Pat Maroon doesn’t seem likely to join in on the relocation. He told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’d prefer to stay with Chicago rather than experience yet another deadline trade. Maroon has been moved in February or March three different times in his career, including at last year’s deadline. He signed his first open market contract since 2020 this summer – choosing the Windy City as his landing spot. 54 games later, Maroon must clearly be enjoying the role of veteran leader and Stanley Cup expert in front of Chicago’s young core. He has 14 points, 71 penalty minutes, and a minus-11 on the year, while serving a minimal role in Chicago’s bottom-six. While opening up that spot would certainly open minutes for more top prospects, it’d be tough to see Chicago go against Maroon’s wishes for anything less than a golden offer.
- Top rookie defenseman Lian Bichsel is progressing in his return from an upper-body injury. He is doubtful for the Dallas Stars’ game against St. Louis on Sunday, but could return when they face New Jersey on Tuesday, per Dallas News’ Lia Assimakopoulos. Bichsel was injured on a high hit from New York Islanders grinder Casey Cizikas on February 23rd. He’s missed two games since. Bichsel has played the first 18 games of his NHL career this season. He has five points, 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-six in that span – and has looked the part of a projectable first-round pick. News of his return on Tuesday will also suggest that Bichsel will continue to hold a role on the NHL roster, though it will be shaky ground as Dallas looks to buy improvements at the deadline. In an aforementioned fun fact, Bichsel is one of the few other six-foot-seven defenders.
- The Utah Hockey Club were without depth forward Michael Carcone on Saturday evening. He was listed as a game-time decision due to a lower-body injury, per Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune. Carcone has filled a minimal lineup role in Utah, with 13 points, 29 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 41 games this year. Utah turned towards Kevin Stenlund to fill-in during the losing effort. Stenlund recorded one assist in 11 minutes of ice time. It was his 14th point of the year through 61 appearances. Jack McBain also saw a boost in Carcone’s absence, stepping onto the second-unit power-play. He did not manage any scoring in the fill-in role.
Latest On Utah’s Trade Deadline Plans
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.
Utah’s Matias Maccelli May Become Available At Deadline
In today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (and later shared by Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune), the longtime insider mentioned a forward that hadn’t previously been believed to be a part of any trade discussions. The player in question is Utah Hockey Club’s Matias Maccelli, who’s in his fourth professional season.
During the podcast, Friedman was quoted saying, “Maccelli in Utah. He’s been scratched a bit lately. Was scratched Sunday night too against Vancouver. That’s one to watch.” His play this season has invoked questions regarding his future with the organization but Utah would ultimately be selling low on Maccelli should they move him now.
There’s no question he’s had a disappointing campaign. After scoring 28 goals and 78 assists in 146 games with the Arizona Coyotes from 2022 to 2024, Maccelli’s scoring has dropped to eight goals and 10 assists in 52 games this season. That point production equates to a 0.37 decrease in points per game compared to years past and his offensive production isn’t the only worry in his game.
His average time on ice has dropped by slightly more than two minutes this season and his sub-10% shooting percentage is the lowest since his rookie campaign. His on-ice save percentage at even strength has fallen from a career-high 91.5% in 2022-23 to 88.9% this year. One of the only categories of Maccelli’s game not to see a number go down is his giveaways which have risen by 14.4% per game.
Those numbers don’t paint a pretty picture. Still, given he’s only one year removed from tallying 40 assists over a full season, several teams would likely be interested in his services as a potential bounce-back option.
If Utah is considering seriously trading Maccelli, they would be better served by waiting until next year’s deadline. He’s signed to a modest $3.425MM salary through next season and the team isn’t positioned to start clearing salary from the roster. Should Maccelli’s playmaking abilities again come alive during the 2025-26 season, Utah could move him then for a bigger haul before he becomes a restricted free agent for the second time in his career.
Utah Hockey Club Reassigns Juuso Välimäki
Feb. 24: Välimäki cleared waivers, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The team’s Craig Morgan confirms he’ll report to AHL Tucson.
Feb. 23: The Utah Hockey Club’s return to health on the blue line has led to some difficult roster decisions, notably losing defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok on waivers to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Today, the team will attempt to send defenseman Juuso Välimäki through waivers, per a team announcement.
It’s not an unfamiliar situation for the former 16th overall selection of the 2017 NHL Draft. Välimäki was claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames at the beginning of the 2022-23 season by the Arizona Coyotes and has remained with the team through their move to Salt Lake City, UT.
At the time, the Coyotes appeared to have the steal of the season on the waiver wire after Välimäki broke out for four goals and 30 assists in 78 games in his first year with the organization. Arizona was uniquely positioned to allow Välimäki into a top-four role with the club — something the Flames couldn’t do at the time. Unfortunately, the Tampere, Finland native didn’t respond as well with increased responsibility last year.
He improved defensively as evidenced by his +12 rating over 68 appearances and career-high 92.5% on-ice save percentage at even strength. However, his offensive production was cut in half scoring two goals and 17 points despite increasing his average time on ice by approximately a minute.
This year has brought an even larger drop-off for Välimäki. Although Utah has dealt with multiple injuries on the blue line, Välimäki has seen his average ice time drop by two and a half minutes. Falling offensively and defensively, he’s scored two goals and three assists in 43 games with a -5 rating.
Välimäki’s disappointing output could be a blessing in disguise for Utah should they hope to retain him. Even though he’s making an affordable $2MM this year and next, his production has given that contract a slight negative value meaning other teams may let him pass through unclaimed.
Logan Cooley A Game-Time Decision
Before today’s game against the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, the former announced a minor injury just before puck drop. The Rangers shared winger Chris Kreider is out with an upper-body injury although his recovery timeline is only considered day-to-day.
It’s difficult to pinpoint any specific moment for Kreider’s current injury. The veteran forward has been dealing with a recurrent back spasms issue for much of the regular season, while he could also be one of the several players to succumb to a minor injury throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Still, despite the specifics of the injury, Kreider did participate in the Rangers’ first game back from the tournament. Despite the team being completely outclassed by the Buffalo Sabres, Kreider scored one goal over 15 minutes in yesterday’s contest joining Mika Zibanejad as the only New York forward to not have a negative rating.
Other injury notes:
- Hopping over to the other side of today’s Metropolitan Division tilt, the Penguins announced defenseman Matt Grzelcyk won’t return to the game due to an upper-body injury. The pending unrestricted free agent only skated in five minutes of today’s action before being hit from behind by Ranger forward Matt Rempe. Rempe was originally reprimanded with a five-minute major only to be downgraded to a two-minute minor call.
- The Utah Hockey Club could be short-handed when they play their first home game in 19 days tonight. According to Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports, Utah forward Logan Cooley is a game-time decision for this evening’s event. Cooley is confirmed to be dealing with a lower-body issue but it’s not severe enough to warrant a concrete absence from the lineup. The sophomore center is only one point away from tying his total production from last year scoring 15 goals and 43 points in 50 games.
Trade Deadline Primer: Utah Hockey Club
With the 4 Nations Face-Off now complete, the trade deadline looms large and is just a few weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Utah Hockey Club.
The Utah Hockey Club find themselves in an awkward spot with the Trade Deadline approaching. They’ve posted a perfectly .500 season – just good enough to stay within grasp of the Western Conference Wild Cards but not good enough to be planning for travel come May. Adding to the confusion is the return of Sean Durzi from an October injury. Durzi played in four games as a top-pair defenseman before falling to injury, and his return stands as a substantial, free addition to the Utah lineup at the perfect time. With the deadline just around the corner, Utah will need to quickly gauge where their lineup sits – with Durzi’s return, Clayton Keller‘s top scoring, and Logan Cooley‘s injury all complicating the matter.
Record
24-24-9, 5th in the Central Division
Deadline Status
Tepid Buyers
Deadline Cap Space
$27.07MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention spots used, 47/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: UTA 1st, UTA 2nd, UTA 3rd, UTA 4th, UTA 5th, UTA 6th
2026: UTA 1st, UTA 2nd, OTT 2nd, NYR 2nd, UTA 3rd, CAR 3rd, UTA 4th, UTA 5th, UTA 6th, UTA 7th
Trade Chips
On the heels of an up-and-down year, the Trade Deadline will be Utah’s chance to stake their claim. Are they a hopeful on the fringe of the playoffs, led by a clear top-scorer and strong goaltending? Or are they an up-and-comer, driven by succeeding top prospects and emerging structure? Their fate certainly seems in the latter camp, but Utah seems too close to the Western Conference wild cards – six points out, with one game lost – to take a full stride towards the future. The 26-year-old Clayton Keller – who leads the team with 61 points – or the 28-year-old Nick Schmaltz – right behind him with 48 – may be at their peak sale value this year. But much of the Utah success has been built around those veterans, and would leave major lineup holes by shipping them out.
That likely leaves Utah’s biggest bargaining chips in their lineup depth.
Undersized winger Matias Maccelli has fallen to just 18 points in 52 games this season, after posting a career-high 40 assists and 57 points last year. He has been healthy scratched at multiple points this season, including in Utah’s first game back from the 4-Nations Face-Off break. That’s a dismal fall from grace for a player that averaged north of 16 minutes of ice time last season – and could be the signs of a looming separation. Maccelli is still only 24 years old, and proved the extent of his playmaking upside with 78 assists in 146 games between 2022 and 2024 – his first two full seasons in the NHL. This down year seems to be more a fluke, or clash of minds, than it is indicative of any decline – and a young scorer will always be a hot commodity on the open market. Even better, Maccelli carries a comfortable $3.43MM cap hit through the end of next season. Utah could be in store for plenty of attention by gauging Maccelli’s price on the open market.
Utah has also built up a small surplus in net. Connor Ingram started the year in the starter’s net, but lost it to Karel Vejmelka during a two-month absence to injury. Vejmelka now sits with a .909 save percentage, 2.57 goals-against-average, and a 13-15-4 record on the year. That’s a clear step up over Ingram’s .882 Sv%, 3.27 GAA, and 9-8-4 record. Utah also received a strong four games from Jaxson Stauber, who posted a 2-1-1 record and .925 Sv% during Ingram’s absence. Stauber also has an 8-5-1 record and .901 Sv% in 14 AHL games, where he backs up Matthew Villalta’s 12-17-3 record and .904 Sv%. That heap of well-performing netminders could land Ingram on the outside looking in.
Ingram posted a .907 in each of the last two seasons, playing in 27 and 50 games respectively. He’s a long-tenured pro who has worked his way into a cushy platoon role with Utah. Even better, Ingram carries an affordable $1.95MM cap hit through the end of next season. Those facts will keep Ingram an affordable depth option an open market with very few goalies.
If not Maccelli or Ingram, the sight of Utah’s trades will quickly turn towards their veterans. Each of Lawson Crouse, Alexander Kerfoot, and Nick Bjugstad have found reasonable footing in the Utah lineup, and could be cheap bets for deadline buyers looking for a specific style. Juuso Valimaki and Nick DeSimone offer similar low-upside but reliable styles on the back-end, though they likely couldn’t command the same asking price as other positions. That short list of bargaining pieces may set Utah up for a quiet spring, but strategic use of their 2026 draft picks could still make for notable additions.
Team Needs
1) Spark Plugs – Utah is coming into their own this season through the
success of their young stars. Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley are both rivaling point-per-game scoring, while Josh Doan and Artyom Duda are rising through the minor ranks. It’s clear to see the core pieces that Utah’s future will be built around – meaning they can turn their attention towards finding exciting complementary pieces. A winger that can bring added finesse and finishing ability to Cooley’s side, or a heavy passer to set up Guenther, could go far towards solidifying Utah’s next steps. Anaheim Ducks winger Trevor Zegras stands as the beacon of high-skill upside bets at this year’s deadline, but his asking price could quickly run Utah’s wallet dry. A more realistic bet may be aging Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser, who has long been rumored to move and could carry a cheap asking price in the midst of a down year. Boeser has just 35 points this season, less than half of the 73 points he posted last year – helped along by his first 40-goal season. At 27, he may be a bit old for Utah’s young core – but for the right acquisition cost, Boeser could also be the big splash this year that ripples out through the next few seasons. Boeser carries a $6.65MM cap hit and a modified no-trade clause through the end of this season.
2) Younger Depth – For a team built around up-and-coming youngsters, finding the middle ground between youth and impact in the depths is incredibly important. Utah won’t be able to sustain their reliance on Bjugstad or Crouse to play the hard minutes. They need to cycle out their aged vets for a core that can better support the likes of Cooley and Guenther in the years to come. The open market could offer plenty of players that fit that mold, including shoot-first winger Nicholas Robertson in Toronto and heavy-hitter Trent Frederic in Boston. Even acquiring a player closer to their prime, like Boston’s Justin Brazeau or Columbus’ Mathieu Olivier, could stabilize a Utah bottom-six comprised largely of 30-year-olds. There will be a lot of options Utah can push in to build up their bottom pieces – but doing so without paying lavishly will have to be the priority.
Utah Hockey Club, Karel Vejmelka Having Preliminary Extension Negotiations
Earlier today, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the Utah Hockey Club is engaged in extension negotiations with netminder Karel Vejmelka. Although no deal is imminent, Dreger adds that Vejmelka could become an interesting trade piece at the deadline should he and Utah not agree on a palatable salary for both sides.
It’s a good season for Vejmelka to find comparable situations. Kevin Lankinen, Logan Thompson, and Mackenzie Blackwood have signed extensions with their respective teams this year giving Vejmelka plenty of ammunition to work with. He’s arguably had the best season of his career this year with a 13-15-4 record in 31 starts with a .909 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average.
Unfortunately, unless there’s a major injury between now and the deadline, there isn’t much desire for goaltending in the trade market. Most if not all contending teams have a formidable situation between the pipes, with the Philadelphia Flyers likely being the only hypothetical option as a rental. Even then, the Flyers don’t seem to have much appetite for buying regardless of their position in the standings. Unless a non-playoff team is looking for a goaltender and Vejmelka is open to separate extension negotiations, all signs indicate he’ll remain with Utah beyond the trade deadline.
Other Central notes:
- Exiting the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Minnesota Wild were expecting the return of star forward Kirill Kaprizov shortly after. However, it appears the Wild are still a ways away from the return of their highest-scoring forward. In an interview on KFAN 100.3, general manager Bill Guerin said, “I think he’s going to be out longer than we originally expected. How much, I cannot answer.” Kaprizov had surgery in late January to repair a lower-body injury and was given a four-week minimum recovery timeline.
- Neither forward Valeri Nichushkin nor defenseman Josh Manson are expected to join the Colorado Avalanche on their upcoming road trip. In an interview with Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette, head coach Jared Bednar said, “He’s not coming on the (road) trip. Him and (Josh Manson) will both be here getting some work done.” The news is expected for Manson as he’s been dealing with a lower-body injury for much of the regular season. However, the news can’t be seen as anything other than disappointing for Nichushkin who hasn’t suited up since New Year’s Eve despite practicing multiple times.
Utah Hockey Club Assign Jaxson Stauber To AHL
Saturday: Stauber has been returned to the Roadrunners, per a team announcement. That means Ingram will be available to dress tonight versus Los Angeles.
Tuesday: According to the AHL transactions site, the Utah Hockey Club has recalled third-string netminder Jaxson Stauber from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. The recall likely means that goaltender Connor Ingram hasn’t fully recovered from the upper-body injury suffered in the team’s last game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
After taking a high shot from Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, Ingram left the game after 12:38 of ice time. Utah’s head coach, André Tourigny didn’t provide any recovery timeline for Ingram other than saying, “No, I don’t know what his status is at this point. He will be evaluated, but we’ll see.”
Stauber has largely played in the AHL in his first year outside the Chicago Blackhawks organization. Still, he was recalled to the NHL in late November due to another upper-body injury to Ingram. Many of the starts went to Karel Vejmelka over that stretch but Stauber still managed a 2-1-1 record in four starts with a .925 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average.
That likely beat expectations that the Utah coaching staff had for Stauber considering his relatively modest production in AHL Tucson. Matt Villalta has been the primary starter for the Roadrunners this season but Stauber has still gotten involved in 14 contests. The Wayzata, Minnesota, native has secured an 8-5-2 record in those 14 games with a .901 SV% and 3.07 GAA.
Evening Notes: Utah, Samoskevich, Morrissey, Harley
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
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.