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Utah HC missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their inaugural season. Before they moved to Salt Lake City, the Arizona Coyotes had not made the postseason since the 2020 bubble. It has been a long rebuild for the players and carryover fans, but new owner Ryan Smith seems committed to ending it. This offseason, Utah HC has to make some trades to improve their team. JG Pageau would be a great fit, as would two other players.
Even with some trade deadline extensions for Oli Maata and Karel Vejmelka, Utah HC will enter the offseason with $22.3 million in cap space. Last year, when they had a lot of space, they picked up Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning. They should be open for business for similar moves this offseason as teams look to shed salary.
Utah HC has the cap space and draft capital to make a big swing this summer. Will they bring in a new star to debut their new team name?
JG Pageau comes over from the Islanders
Reporting around the trade deadline indicated that then-Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello turned down draft picks for Pageau. The Oilers were interested, but Utah HC would not need New York to retain half of his salary if they made the move. General manager Bill Armstrong can swing in and offer the new New York GM a second-round pick or mid-tier prospect for the center.
Pageau would immediately improve Utah's center depth, which is their biggest flaw. He would not challenge Logan Cooley for the top center position, but could be an important penalty killer for them. The new general manager in New York shouldn't ask for much, as they should be looking to shed salary and start a quick rebuild.
Pageau's contract expires after the 2025-26 season, so if it is not a good fit, it would be a one-year relationship. Utah could take a swing like this without losing the ability to go after big free agents. Another veteran like Pageau would bring legitimacy to the team and leadership to the locker room, which is important for a young team.
Utah HC gets a superstar in Erik Karlsson
No one would argue that Erik Karlsson's prime is over. He'll be 35 years old at the beginning of next season and just had his worst full-season offensive output since he was 20 years old. But the Penguins are going nowhere, and he could waive his no-trade clause to join a young team with a lot of promise. He is more likely to waive for a Cup contender, but maybe he buys into this young core.
This is a piece that ownership and the marketing department would be pushing heavily. While he is far from the best player in the league, he is a recognizable name with trophies on his mantle. Karlsson has won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman three times, including in 2023.
The Penguins would be looking for futures, which could be a tough sell for Utah. If they were willing to give up a prospect like center Cole Beaudoin or defenseman Artem Duda along with some picks, that should get the deal done.
Keep adding young talent with Marco Rossi
Utah HC was one of the youngest teams in the league last year. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild's best players are all hitting their primes at the same time. That was great for their team early on, but injuries caught up during the season. With Zach Parise and Ryan Suter's buyouts still on the books, Minnesota may have to move on from Marco Rossi. Utah can get younger while the Wild get cheaper with this trade.
The Wild would want one of the NHL-ready players who is not going to reach Rossi's talent level in return. That is an odd return to request, but they need space for Kirill Kaprizov's upcoming extension. Mattias Macelli would be a perfect fit, as a player with upside but not someone who is going to take up a ton of cap space. Attach a valuable pick or prospect to the package, and Utah HC could have one of the most fun top-sixes in the league.
