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The first year of professional hockey in Salt Lake City has officially come to an end. Although the Utah Hockey Club would have loved to advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their inaugural campaign, it was still a relatively successful season overall. Utah finished above .500 at 38-31-13 and ended up just seven points back of the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference when all was said and done.
Utah also won six of its last nine games, and although it was too little, too late, they looked better than a couple of playoff teams in that span. It looks like this franchise is oh-so-close to coming out of the rebuild, and they should be right in the mix to make the playoffs in Year 2.
Although missing the postseason is disappointing, there is undoubtedly a bright future for this franchise. Instead of selling at the NHL trade deadline, general manager Bill Armstrong signed several veterans to contract extensions instead of trading them for prospects and draft picks for the future. That includes Karel Vejmelka, who looks to be the goaltender of the future in Utah, along with Alex Kerfoot, Ian Cole and Olli Maatta.
That signals that the club could be ready to contend as soon as next year, and this is certainly a team to watch both on the free agent market and through the trade route this summer. The Utah Hockey Club has a great mix of young players and veterans who have had success with other teams, and Armstrong will likely try to make a few splashes in the offseason to help this squad be one of the last eight standing in the West in 2025-26.
But in that quest, a couple of current roster players could be expendable — whether to stock the cupboards for the future or as part of a hockey trade to improve the team in the short-term. Here are three such players who could be getting a change of scenery.
Lawson Crouse had a tough year
Lawson Crouse had a really, really tough time in 2024-25. In fact, it was the worst season of his professional career, not counting his rookie year in 2016-17 when he chipped in just 12 points in 72 games After being drafted 11th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2015, Crouse has spent his entire career in the Arizona Coyotes/Utah organization.
The 27-year-old emerged into a reliable middle-six player two years ago, recording 24 goals and 45 points in 2022-23 and following it up with 23 tallies and 42 points over a full 82-game slate last year. But this season, his game fell off a cliff. Crouse managed just 12 goals and 18 points in 81 games, which is borderline unacceptable for a player making $4.3 million per year. The relocation from Arizona to Utah just didn't do this player any favors at all.
Although Crouse could certainly bounce back in 2025-26, he's already been pushed down to the third line, and if Armstrong adds a couple of pieces over the summer, he could be relegated to fourth line duties in 2025-26. For that reason, it wouldn't be too surprising if the front office listened to offers on the 6-foot-4, 215 pound left winger. That's especially true considering he still has two years remaining on his contract.
Matias Maccelli is getting pushed down the lineup
Like Crouse, Maccelli is another forward who had a difficult 2024-25 season with the Utah Hockey Club. After being selected in the fourth round, 98th overall by the Coyotes in the 2019 NHL Draft, the 24-year-old broke onto the scene two years ago.
Maccelli was terrific in 2022-23, amassing 49 points in just 64 games and proving he could be a difference-maker at the NHL level. He was great again last year, playing 82 games and chipping in 17 goals and 57 points. But, like Crouse, he just didn't adjust well to the move to Utah. The winger struggled mightily in 2024-25, posting just eight goals and 18 points in 55 games.
More concerningly, Maccelli was healthy scratched multiple times throughout the year, and just couldn't seem to carve out a significant role under head coach Andre Tourigny. This is a player who still has some juice, but he badly needs a change of scenery and an opportunity to play higher in the lineup. Right now, Daily Faceoff doesn't have him on any of the four forward lines, with Crouse, Josh Doan and Jack McBain on the third line, and Kerfoot, Kevin Stenlund and Nick Bjugstad rounding out the forward core.
Maccelli is certainly a player to keep an eye on this summer, and it would be somewhat surprising if he was still on the roster on opening night in October.
Connor Ingram remains in NHL's player assistance program
Connor Ingram was a tough inclusion on this list considering he's currently in the NHL's player assistance program to prioritize his mental health. The 28-year-old shared an update on social media back at the beginning of March.
“For those of you that don’t know, earlier this season I lost my mother to breast cancer. After trying to make a return to playing, I have come to realize that I am not myself,” Ingram wrote. “At this point in my life I need to put my health first, and take the time I need away to come back at 100 percent.”
Armstrong said earlier this week that he doesn't really have an update on Ingram, and hasn't been in touch with him since he entered the program. Ingram is a great goalie and an even better person, but from a purely hockey standpoint, it could make sense for him to get a change of scenery, and a place where he could be a starting goalie again.
Ingram struggled in 2024-25 before entering the program, playing 22 games for the Utah Hockey Club and posting a 3.27 goals against average and .882 save percentage. The hope is that he will come back stronger and be able to contribute, and at his best, he is still the caliber of a starter. But with Vejmelka getting a long-term extension, he is clearly the No. 1 starter for the franchise, and he went on a 23-game starting streak that set an NHL record.
While Armstrong won't consider moving Ingram until he is fully healthy, a trade could work for both parties. Ingram could get a chance to be a starter in a different market, while the front office could get his nearly $2 million cap hit off the books before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026.
