As the dust settles in the Wild West known as Utah, let’s indulge in some speculation. What will the new addition of the Utah Hockey Club use as its NHL team name? And what might its jersey/logo look like? These exciting questions and how this new team will fare in the league will soon be answered.
It’s been an eventful 45 days since the news broke that the Arizona Coyotes were relocating to Utah. As a writer for fullpresshockey.com, I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness. Though rumored for some time, the team’s relocation is now a reality, and that is starting to sink in. It’s a bittersweet moment for the fans and the team alike.
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To all you hockey fans in Utah, get ready for an exciting new chapter. You’re about to welcome a team led by a knowledgeable general manager, Bill Armstrong, and a head coach (Andre Tourigny) with a proven track record of guiding his teams to playoff contention. The future looks bright for Utah’s hockey scene.
One thing this new club will have is plenty of cap space. Say, $43.3 million to bolster the hockey team by adding free agents and re-signing expired contracts of players they wish to retain. Let’s review some players and predict if they may stay and how big a contract they may get.
Forwards
Barrett Hayton – He had a very productive year in 2022-23 with 19 goals and 24 assists, playing in all 82 games. Unfortunately, he was hurt for most of this season and only had three goals and seven assists in 33 games. He is a restricted free agent who had a $1.775 million contract. He is a steady two-way player and should be re-signed to a short-term two-year deal for about $2.8 million AAV as a ‘show me’ type of contract. Hayton has potential but needs to stay healthy.
Liam O’Brien is a role player on the fourth line who loves to mix it up. He has averaged 271 penalty minutes over the three seasons he has been with the Coyotes. He will protect his teammates at all costs. Every once in a while, he will tally a goal. Since he was such a big hit at the player introduction, expect him to stick around for a low price of about $800,000.
Jan Jenik – While he has only participated in 22 NHL games over the last four seasons, he has done well in the AHL Tucson Roadrunners. He has added 46 goals and 74 assists in 165 gamesmontreal canadiens memes. Jenik carried a $775,000 cap hit and was signed to a one-year deal in September last year. He had been rumored to be traded before he came to terms, so he may not be back.
Defensemen
Josh Brown – He will probably not be back. Brown had a $1.275M contract. He collected just three goals and seven assists in 51 games. As an unrestricted free agent, he will seek other employment.
Travis Dermott – is another blueliner who will more than likely not be back. He scored just two goals and five assists in 50 games. He too is an UFA and will look for a new team.
Sean Durzi – He will be back, and he showed that he could be a great quarterback on the blue line and on the power play. With the man advantage, he tallied three goals and 13 assists. According to dobberhockey.com, he can command a salary of $5.14M. He can be an excellent player who can be part of the future of this team. Offer him a three-year deal for $4.50M AAV.
J.J. Moser – Moser, at just 23 years old, can be another defenseman holding a bright future for Utah. He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time last season and added 112 blocks and 99 hits in 80 games. He had a reasonable $886,667 contract and deserves a raise. According to dobberhockey.com, he may earn $2.43 million AAV. Signing him to a three-year deal seems logical, considering his stellar play.
Juuso Valimaki – He may be on the bubble to return, but his contract was for just $1M, and his production this last season fell off a bit. Still, he is a solid defender and was picked up on waivers from the Calgary Flames. He will need to go to training camp with the intention of winning a spot on the team.
Michael Kesselring – He was a pleasant surprise in that he was an unknown player who found a home on the Coyotes’ blueline. His size at 6′-4″, 190 pounds certainly helps his efforts. The Utah Hockey Club definitely needs to re-sign this young man. He tallied five goals and 16 assists in 65 games last season. His salary was $925,000. Give him a two-year deal for about $2M AAV and see what happens.
Victor Soderstrom – He is earning a spot in the NHL because of his excellent play in the AHL, where he has scored 77 points in 138 games. He is a bit small but needs to work on his strength this summer to play with the big boys in the NHL. Soderstrom was the 11th overall pick in the 2019 draft and needs to really show he wants to be in the NHL. He had a $863,333 deal and should be re-signed to a two-year deal worth in the range of $2.1M AAV.
Goalies
Matt Villata – He had an excellent record in the AHL. In 51 games, he had a .911 save percentage and a 2.54 GAA. It was enough to earn him a call up to appear in two NHL games. Unfortunately, he didn’t fare well with a 4.17 GAA and a less than-acceptable .828 SV%. He may need more seasoning, but re-signing him to play in the AHL may be an option. He was earning $775,000 and may re-sign for something a bit above that.
Brodie Brazil put together a great YouTube video displaying the possible team names with jerseys and logos. It’s a fun exercise to name a team and develop jerseys and logos. Take a glance at them and see what you think. My personal favorite is the Utah Yeti. We’ll see how the vote goes and what the newest NHL team will be called.carolina hurricanes zip up hoodie
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