Feb 6, 2025 , 11:12 AM
ELMONT, NEW YORK – JANUARY 25: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on January 25, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
COLE BAGLEY
SALT LAKE CITY – While the Utah Hockey Club continues to try and make a playoff push in their inaugural campaign, there’s a good chance that the quest for Lord Stanley will be put on hold until next season in Salt Lake City. With that being said, NHL Insider David Pagnotta recently provided some insight on Utah’s trade deadline and summer plans as they continue to progress in their rebuild.
As of right now, the Utah Hockey Club is currently six points out of the final wild card spot behind the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
So, while Utah is not out of the race by any means, they would have to play near perfect hockey over the next 29 games and win at least 19 of those in order to have a legitimate shot.
Not impossible, but very difficult, especially considering the fact that Sean Durzi and Logan Cooley won’t be reevaluated until after Four Nations.
“(Tonight’s win) was absolutely huge,” Utah head coach Andre Tourigny said after the win over Philadelphia. “We still very much believe. We don’t look at scores elsewhere, but we know Calgary lost. We know Vancouver is up by one after two.”
“The point is…we know at this point we’ll need a bit of help (to make the playoffs). We didn’t take the straight line. But we can make it and we’ll fight for it. Now we’ll need to go on the road and have a helluva road trip.”
All things considered, NHL Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period and NHL Network recently reported that Utah is currently in the process of laying groundwork for a stronger push next season with big plans to spend in free agency.
“They’re going to see if they can make significant additions now, and if it doesn’t work out, it’ll lay groundwork for potential moves in the summer and around the draft before going into free agency. They’ve got a lot of money to burn,” Pagnotta said.
“Everything that Bill Armstrong, their GM, is doing now is now towards next season and being competitive then.”
NHL Insider David Pagnotta on Utah’s deadline & summer plans 👀
“They will be big players in the FA market…whether it’s Rantanen or Marner, they’re going to go after both of these guys & try to get one of them.”pic.twitter.com/yNmbkNER3X
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 6, 2025
Who are a few big names that Utah could try and acquire to help them make the playoffs next season?
According to Pagnotta, NHL stars Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner are at the top of Utah’s list.
“The belief is that Utah is willing to spend to lure top-tier free agents and that could result in them being players in the Mikko Rantanen and/or Mitch Marner sweepstakes – with the hopes of signing one of them – should they hit the open market on July 1,” Pagnotta reported.
“With a motivated ownership group, led by Ashley and Ryan Smith, Utah is poised to be a serious contender this summer. They have plenty of salary cap space leading up to the deadline, and $26.575 million in total cap space for 2025-26 with no significant free agents of their own due for major raises.”
Either player would be a home run for the Utah Hockey Club as both skaters could provide the additional firepower that Utah is in desperate need of.
Through 52 games this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marner has a whopping 70 points (16G, 54A). Meanwhile, despite recently being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, Rantanen has 66 points (26G, 40A) in 54 games.
Regardless of what happens, Utah’s future is incredibly bright.
With a plethora of prospects developing in minor leagues in addition to the evolution of guys like Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther, and a collection of talented veterans, Utah is trending in the right direction.
Adding another big name would only speed up the process of becoming a contender.
The Utah Hockey Club will face the Columbus Blue Jacket on the road on Thursday night. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
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