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The Utah Hockey Club experiment in Salt Lake City has now reached its fourth month. Utah has played 38 games since transitioning from the now defunct Arizona Coyotes, and the results have been up and down. Andre Tourigny's team won four games in a row between December 12-20, just to drop five consecutive right afterwards. And that's been a microcosm of the Utah Hockey Club's campaign in general in 2024-25.
Now 17-15-6 after a 5-3 triumph over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, the team is fifth place in the Central Division and just four points back of the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference. It certainly hasn't been a bad start by any stretch of the imagination. Many around the hockey world would call it the opposite, especially after the Coyotes failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last four seasons. There's still an avenue for Utah to make the postseason in the franchise's first season in Salt Lake City, and that would undoubtedly be electric for fans of the franchise.
Utah has been up-and-down in 2024-25, but there's hope
It's been a pretty significant improvement from last season, when the now-defunct Coyotes finished seventh place in the Central for the second consecutive campaign. At this point in the season, there's undoubtedly more hope for the Utah Hockey Club than concern the rest of the way. That's especially true as the squad has been playing shorthanded for much of the campaign, with key defensemen Sean Durzi and John Marino both on the shelf long-term. With Connor Ingram also sidelined — and not imminently close to a return himself — Karel Vejmelka has been handling most of the starts, and performing relatively well.
The reinforcements should be on the way in the coming months, but as currently constructed, Utah's roster looks like it will be hanging around the playoff conversation for the last four months of the regular-season. General manager Bill Armstrong is going to have a couple of tough decisions to make ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline, as the club is good but not great right now.
Should the executive sacrifice draft capital to try to sneak into the playoffs at the end of April? This is still not a Stanley Cup caliber team, and probably a couple of years away from being legitimate contenders. While there's an avenue for this squad to make the playoffs without any outside help, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the management team decides to make a big splash or two to help in the quest for a first postseason appearance since 2020.
Part of that puzzle will be figuring out which pending unrestricted free agents to re-sign, and which to dangle as bait ahead of the trade deadline. The Utah Hockey Club has a couple of big decisions to make on a few pending unrestricted free agents, most notably forwards Alex Kerfoot and Nick Bjugstad.
Utah's front office could look to extend Alex Kerfoot
Besides Michael Carcone, Kerfoot and Bjugstad are the only forwards set to be UFAs on July 1, and each has been impactful over the last while. Kerfoot spent the entire 2023-24 campaign with the Coyotes after signing a two-year, $7 million contract in the summer of 2023.
The 30-year-old was solid if unspectacular last year, adding 13 goals and 45 points over a full 82 game slate. He isn't quite on that pace this year, with just 14 points in 38 games. Although his offensive output is down, Kerfoot remains a dependable defensive player despite averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time per game, a steep decline from last season.
Kerfoot's trade value definitely isn't high right now, but Armstrong could still look to flip him ahead of the deadline. But with over $5 million in cap space, there's an avenue that the front office decides to keep the forward around for another year or two instead — at a cheaper price than his current $3.5 million AAV. Kerfoot is a leader, and at just 30-years-old, there's still a place for him on this roster.
While the same can be said for Bjugstad, he's two years older and probably the guy who should be on the move as the youth revolution continues in Utah.
It's time for Utah Hockey Club to trade Nick Bjugstad
Like Kerfoot, Bjugstad had a very solid campaign in 2023-24 with Arizona. He amassed 22 goals and 45 points in 76 games while playing a significant role on a non-playoff team. But both veteran forwards have seen their ice time decrease, as players like Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain fight for bigger roles.
There's a realistic chance that both Kerfoot and Bjugstad are moved ahead of March 7, but the latter is the more obvious choice. He's playing just over 12 minutes a game and has chipped in just four goals and nine points in 30 games in 2024-25. Here's what The Athletic's Chris Johnston had to say about the player, while including him at No. 23 on his latest NHL Trade Board:
“Reliable right-shot centers who can fill a depth role always have currency come deadline. Bjugstad has shown that before — getting traded in 2022 from Arizona to Edmonton in a deal that brought back a third-round pick and defenseman Michael Kesselring — and he’s trending toward being that kind of asset again for Utah HC. He’s reliable play driver who profiles as an ideal bottom-six utilityman.”
Bjugstad is slowly but surely being phased out of the offense; he's playing a bottom-six role and not making too much of an impact at all. It would be wise for Armstrong to try to make a hockey trade and get a useful defenseman back in a potential deal, especially considering Durzi and Marino are still a couple of months away.
Whatever route the Utah Hockey Club decides to go at the deadline — which likely won't be decided for weeks yet — it's time to either trade Bjugstad, or risk letting him walk for nothing come July 1.
