Change of ownership and move to Utah is complete. Now it’s time for the former Arizona Coyotes to get to work on the team that will take the ice next season at the Delta Center. We’ve looked at some options for the club with the sixth pick in the NHL Entry Draft, but general manager Bill Armstrong and the front office must also maintain a firm focus on the opening of free agency on July 1.
Fans will surely be curious to see who joins Utah as new owner Ryan Smith looks to make a splash with his newly relocated franchise, but a more pressing concern may be the status of a significant group of current players whose contracts are coming to an end. . Seven members of last year’s squad owe new contracts, including the club’s entire blue line.
Let’s look at those seven players and see who could remain in Salt Lake City and who could head elsewhere:
Last season, Sean Durzi was billed as the Coyotes’ blue line man during his first season with the organization. Nowhere was that clearer than on Ice Time, where he averaged 22:43 per game, more than two minutes more than any of his teammates and almost three minutes more than he had averaged the previous season with Los Angeles. Kings.
You simply can’t make a player a focal point without a plan to keep him around for the long term. Durz’s restricted free agent status means he is less of a threat to be snatched up by an opposing team given Utah’s ability to match any offer. But given the 25-year-old’s age and his scoring potential (he scored nine goals and 41 points last season), Utah may be looking to secure the Mississauga, Ontario native in the coming years.
In many ways, JJ Moser is in the same boat as Durzi, his defensive partner. Both are up for new contracts as restricted free agents and both have the youth (Moser is 24 years old) to suggest Utah will want to keep them around long-term.
But while Moser is expected to re-sign, his case for a long-term contract is less certain than Durzi’s. While Durzi showed off his offensive potential from behind and generally looked like one of the top four defensemen in the NHL, Moser stagnated with Durzi in tow, taking a small step back in goals, points and ice time. Assuming he returns, Moser will have opportunities on Utah’s built-from-scratch blue line, but he’ll likely need to show growth to be considered in a larger role.
It’s been six long years since Barrett Hayton was selected fifth in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. And while his fellow 2018 top five picks Brady Tkachuk, Andrei Svechnikov and Rasmus Dahlin all arrived as NHL stars , Hayton seems to be hesitating at the moment.
Hayton had what appeared to be a breakout season in 2022-23, with 19 goals and 43 points in 82 full games. That, however, gave way to this injury-plagued past campaign in which long absences due to upper and lower body injuries kept the Swiss winger to 33 games and just three goals. As a restricted free agent, Hayton’s next contract will likely be affected based on his play and availability last season.
I’ve grouped Jusso Valimaki and Michael Kesselring together because of their shared status as deep young defenders for the FRG. On the Coyotes’ thin blue line last season, they were thrust into what was probably a bigger second pairing role than suited them. They produced similar stats (two goals and 17 points for Valimaki, five goals and 21 points for Kesselring), while surprisingly posting the team’s best plus/minus stats (plus-12 for Valimaki, plus-11 for Kesselring).
It’s probably safe to assume that both men will return, likely retained on short-term deals set at around $1 million per season. However, some additional development will need to be demonstrated to secure your long-term future with the organization. 2019 first-round pick Victor Soderstrom has seen time at the NHL level and could get a broader look this season, while defensive prospects like Maveric Lamoureaux, Max Szuber and Vladislav Kolyachonok will soon make their case for an NHL role .
This time, I’ve paired two unrestricted free agent defensemen, Josh Brown and Travis Dermott, who could very well be looking for employment elsewhere. While Utah will certainly need some veteran help on the blue line, it should probably come from more prominent players than Brown, 30, or Dermott, 27, neither of whom averaged more than 17 minutes last season.
While decisions about pending free agents and the development of Utah’s prospect pool will weigh heavily on the makeup of the club’s defense next year, so will Smith’s commitment to spending money. The upcoming defensive free agent market includes everything from stars like Brandon Montour to highly regarded veterans like Chris Tanev, Brett Pesce, Tyler Myers and TJ Brodie. If Utah is to be taken seriously as a threat next season, they will likely have to upgrade the blue line from outside the organization.
On a non-contending Coyotes team, Liam O’Brien has been a pretty harmless and likable sideshow. He encourages fans and defends his teammates with his willingness to drop the gloves and is known for handing out penalty checks. Plus, he doesn’t cost much (he made $775,000 last year) and barely gets 10 minutes of ice time per game.
However, if the franchise hopes to move toward serious contention, it’s fair to wonder if O’Brien does more harm than good. For the second year in a row, the 29-year-old led the league in penalty minutes. Sure, that goes hand-in-hand with defending teammates, but there are ways to play hard without taking penalties, particularly now that Arizona is among the league’s worst penalty killers. A move away from the popular O’Brien may bring disappointment, but it could also be the best course of action.
It’s an exciting offseason in Utah, and not just because they’re the new kids on the block. With $40 million in cap space to use and a new fan base to engage, Smith, Armstrong and the Utah front office are sure to be active. However, it remains to be seen which of their own free agents will return to be a part of this new reboot.
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