During the podcast, Friedman was quoted saying, “Maccelli in Utah. He’s been scratched a bit lately. Was scratched Sunday night too against Vancouver. That’s one to watch.” His play this season has invoked questions regarding his future with the organization but Utah would ultimately be selling low on Maccelli should they move him now.

There’s no question he’s had a disappointing campaign. After scoring 28 goals and 78 assists in 146 games with the Arizona Coyotes from 2022 to 2024, Maccelli’s scoring has dropped to eight goals and 10 assists in 52 games this season. That point production equates to a 0.37 decrease in points per game compared to years past and his offensive production isn’t the only worry in his game.

His average time on ice has dropped by slightly more than two minutes this season and his sub-10% shooting percentage is the lowest since his rookie campaign. His on-ice save percentage at even strength has fallen from a career-high 91.5% in 2022-23 to 88.9% this year. One of the only categories of Maccelli’s game not to see a number go down is his giveaways which have risen by 14.4% per game.

Those numbers don’t paint a pretty picture. Still, given he’s only one year removed from tallying 40 assists over a full season, several teams would likely be interested in his services as a potential bounce-back option.

If Utah is considering seriously trading Maccelli, they would be better served by waiting until next year’s deadline. He’s signed to a modest $3.425MM salary through next season and the team isn’t positioned to start clearing salary from the roster. Should Maccelli’s playmaking abilities again come alive during the 2025-26 season, Utah could move him then for a bigger haul before he becomes a restricted free agent for the second time in his career.

Feb. 23: The Utah Hockey Club’s return to health on the blue line has led to some difficult roster decisions, notably losing defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok on waivers to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Today, the team will attempt to send defenseman Juuso Välimäki through waivers, per a team announcement.

It’s not an unfamiliar situation for the former 16th overall selection of the 2017 NHL Draft. Välimäki was claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames at the beginning of the 2022-23 season by the Arizona Coyotes and has remained with the team through their move to Salt Lake City, UT.

At the time, the Coyotes appeared to have the steal of the season on the waiver wire after Välimäki broke out for four goals and 30 assists in 78 games in his first year with the organization. Arizona was uniquely positioned to allow Välimäki into a top-four role with the club — something the Flames couldn’t do at the time. Unfortunately, the Tampere, Finland native didn’t respond as well with increased responsibility last year.

He improved defensively as evidenced by his +12 rating over 68 appearances and career-high 92.5% on-ice save percentage at even strength. However, his offensive production was cut in half scoring two goals and 17 points despite increasing his average time on ice by approximately a minute.

This year has brought an even larger drop-off for Välimäki. Although Utah has dealt with multiple injuries on the blue line, Välimäki has seen his average ice time drop by two and a half minutes. Falling offensively and defensively, he’s scored two goals and three assists in 43 games with a -5 rating.

Välimäki’s disappointing output could be a blessing in disguise for Utah should they hope to retain him. Even though he’s making an affordable $2MM this year and next, his production has given that contract a slight negative value meaning other teams may let him pass through unclaimed.

• The Utah Hockey Club could be short-handed when they play their first home game in 19 days tonight. According to Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports, Utah forward Logan Cooley is a game-time decision for this evening’s event. Cooley is confirmed to be dealing with a lower-body issue but it’s not severe enough to warrant a concrete absence from the lineup. The sophomore center is only one point away from tying his total production from last year scoring 15 goals and 43 points in 50 games.

The Utah Hockey Club find themselves in an awkward spot with the Trade Deadline approaching. They’ve posted a perfectly .500 season – just good enough to stay within grasp of the Western Conference Wild Cards but not good enough to be planning for travel come May. Adding to the confusion is the return of Sean Durzi from an October injury. Durzi played in four games as a top-pair defenseman before falling to injury, and his return stands as a substantial, free addition to the Utah lineup at the perfect time. With the deadline just around the corner, Utah will need to quickly gauge where their lineup sits – with Durzi’s return, Clayton Keller’s top scoring, and Logan Cooley’s injury all complicating the matter.

Record

24-24-9, 5th in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Tepid Buyers

Deadline Cap Space

$27.07MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention spots used, 47/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: UTA 1st, UTA 2nd, UTA 3rd, UTA 4th, UTA 5th, UTA 6th
2026: UTA 1st, UTA 2nd, OTT 2nd, NYR 2nd, UTA 3rd, CAR 3rd, UTA 4th, UTA 5th, UTA 6th, UTA 7th

Trade Chips

On the heels of an up-and-down year, the Trade Deadline will be Utah’s chance to stake their claim. Are they a hopeful on the fringe of the playoffs, led by a clear top-scorer and strong goaltending? Or are they an up-and-comer, driven by succeeding top prospects and emerging structure? Their fate certainly seems in the latter camp, but Utah seems too close to the Western Conference wild cards – six points out, with one game lost – to take a full stride towards the future. The 26-year-old Clayton Keller – who leads the team with 61 points – or the 28-year-old Nick Schmaltz – right behind him with 48 – may be at their peak sale value this year. But much of the Utah success has been built around those veterans, and would leave major lineup holes by shipping them out.

That likely leaves Utah’s biggest bargaining chips in their lineup depth. Undersized winger Matias Maccelli has fallen to just 18 points in 52 games this season, after posting a career-high 40 assists and 57 points last year. He has been healthy scratched at multiple points this season, including in Utah’s first game back from the 4-Nations Face-Off break. That’s a dismal fall from grace for a player that averaged north of 16 minutes of ice time last season – and could be the signs of a looming separation. Maccelli is still only 24 years old, and proved the extent of his playmaking upside with 78 assists in 146 games between 2022 and 2024 – his first two full seasons in the NHL. This down year seems to be more a fluke, or clash of minds, than it is indicative of any decline – and a young scorer will always be a hot commodity on the open market. Even better, Maccelli carries a comfortable $3.43MM cap hit through the end of next season. Utah could be in store for plenty of attention by gauging Maccelli’s price on the open market.

Utah has also built up a small surplus in net. Connor Ingram started the year in the starter’s net, but lost it to Karel Vejmelka during a two-month absence to injury. Vejmelka now sits with a .909 save percentage, 2.57 goals-against-average, and a 13-15-4 record on the year. That’s a clear step up over Ingram’s .882 Sv%, 3.27 GAA, and 9-8-4 record. Utah also received a strong four games from Jaxson Stauber, who posted a 2-1-1 record and .925 Sv% during Ingram’s absence. Stauber also has an 8-5-1 record and .901 Sv% in 14 AHL games, where he backs up Matthew Villalta’s 12-17-3 record and .904 Sv%. That heap of well-performing netminders could land Ingram on the outside looking in.

Ingram posted a .907 in each of the last two seasons, playing in 27 and 50 games respectively. He’s a long-tenured pro who has worked his way into a cushy platoon role with Utah. Even better, Ingram carries an affordable $1.95MM cap hit through the end of next season. Those facts will keep Ingram an affordable depth option an open market with very few goalies.

If not Maccelli or Ingram, the sight of Utah’s trades will quickly turn towards their veterans. Each of Lawson Crouse, Alexander Kerfoot, and Nick Bjugstad have found reasonable footing in the Utah lineup, and could be cheap bets for deadline buyers looking for a specific style. Juuso Valimaki and Nick DeSimone offer similar low-upside but reliable styles on the back-end, though they likely couldn’t command the same asking price as other positions. That short list of bargaining pieces may set Utah up for a quiet spring, but strategic use of their 2026 draft picks could still make for notable additions.

Team Needs

1) Spark Plugs – Utah is coming into their own this season through the success of their young stars. Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley are both rivaling point-per-game scoring, while Josh Doan and Artyom Duda are rising through the minor ranks. It’s clear to see the core pieces that Utah’s future will be built around – meaning they can turn their attention towards finding exciting complementary pieces. A winger that can bring added finesse and finishing ability to Cooley’s side, or a heavy passer to set up Guenther, could go far towards solidifying Utah’s next steps. Anaheim Ducks winger Trevor Zegras stands as the beacon of high-skill upside bets at this year’s deadline, but his asking price could quickly run Utah’s wallet dry. A more realistic bet may be aging Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser, who has long been rumored to move and could carry a cheap asking price in the midst of a down year. Boeser has just 35 points this season, less than half of the 73 points he posted last year – helped along by his first 40-goal season. At 27, he may be a bit old for Utah’s young core – but for the right acquisition cost, Boeser could also be the big splash this year that ripples out through the next few seasons. Boeser carries a $6.65MM cap hit and a modified no-trade clause through the end of this season.

2) Younger Depth – For a team built around up-and-coming youngsters, finding the middle ground between youth and impact in the depths is incredibly important. Utah won’t be able to sustain their reliance on Bjugstad or Crouse to play the hard minutes. They need to cycle out their aged vets for a core that can better support the likes of Cooley and Guenther in the years to come. The open market could offer plenty of players that fit that mold, including shoot-first winger Nicholas Robertson in Toronto and heavy-hitter Trent Frederic in Boston. Even acquiring a player closer to their prime, like Boston’s Justin Brazeau or Columbus’ Mathieu Olivier, could stabilize a Utah bottom-six comprised largely of 30-year-olds. There will be a lot of options Utah can push in to build up their bottom pieces – but doing so without paying lavishly will have to be the priority.

Unfortunately, unless there’s a major injury between now and the deadline, there isn’t much desire for goaltending in the trade market. Most if not all contending teams have a formidable situation between the pipes, with the Philadelphia Flyers likely being the only hypothetical option as a rental. Even then, the Flyers don’t seem to have much appetite for buying regardless of their position in the standings. Unless a non-playoff team is looking for a goaltender and Vejmelka is open to separate extension negotiations, all signs indicate he’ll remain with Utah beyond the trade deadline.

[SOURCE LINK]

Tuesday: According to the AHL transactions site, the Utah Hockey Club has recalled third-string netminder Jaxson Stauber from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. The recall likely means that goaltender Connor Ingram hasn’t fully recovered from the upper-body injury suffered in the team’s last game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

After taking a high shot from Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, Ingram left the game after 12:38 of ice time. Utah’s head coach, André Tourigny didn’t provide any recovery timeline for Ingram other than saying, “No, I don’t know what his status is at this point. He will be evaluated, but we’ll see.”

Stauber has largely played in the AHL in his first year outside the Chicago Blackhawks organization. Still, he was recalled to the NHL in late November due to another upper-body injury to Ingram. Many of the starts went to Karel Vejmelka over that stretch but Stauber still managed a 2-1-1 record in four starts with a .925 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average.

That likely beat expectations that the Utah coaching staff had for Stauber considering his relatively modest production in AHL Tucson. Matt Villalta has been the primary starter for the Roadrunners this season but Stauber has still gotten involved in 14 contests. The Wayzata, Minnesota, native has secured an 8-5-2 record in those 14 games with a .901 SV% and 3.07 GAA.

Durzi has been out of the lineup since October 14th with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He played four games in a top-pair role before falling to injury – recording two points, a plus-two, and over 21 minutes in average ice time. The 26-year-old emerged as a legit top defender in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2022-23 season. He scored 38 points in 72 games and averaged roughly 20 minutes that year – his second NHL season. Durzi continued to improve with the Arizona Coyotes last year, improving to 41 points in 76 games and over 22 minutes of ice time. This year seemed to be a chance to continue growing before it was derailed by injury. How he returns from the prolonged absence, and what impact it has on the Utah blue-line, could go a long way towards determining the Hockey Club’s deadline approach.

Across the NHL, Florida Panthers youngster Mackie Samoskevich has shared he’ll be clear to play when the team returns on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich was injured on February 6th – his first game back from a three-game absence due to illness. He missed an additional two games with the injury, but found his way back to full health during the 4-Nations break. The 22-year-old Samoskevich has 17 points in 48 games this season – marking the first scoring of his NHL career.

In other news, Team Canada was forced to scratch Josh Morrissey in the 4-Nations championship due to illness. He was replaced by injury fill-in Thomas Harley, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Harley was eligible to play despite not being on the initial lineup as Morrissey’s illness, and Shea Theodore’s upper-body injury left the team without six healthy defenders. Harley scored his first point of the tournament in the finals after playing in both matchups against Team USA. Morrissey also didn’t post any scoring during three tournament games – though he does have an impressive 46 points in 56 NHL games this season.

Durzi, 26, made it four games into the 2024-25 season before requiring right shoulder surgery in October. He was fresh off a career-best 32-assist, 41-point year with the Coyotes that led to a four-year, $24MM extension from Utah one day before he was set to reach restricted free agency last offseason.

He’ll return to the lineup after a four-month absence against his former team. Durzi skated his first two NHL seasons in Los Angeles, who acquired his signing rights from the Maple Leafs in the 2019 Jake Muzzin trade. He immediately solidified himself as a top-four option after making his NHL debut in 2021, averaging 19:42 over 136 games with the Kings and recording a 12-53–65 scoring line with a -21 rating. While he was already their secondary power-play option behind Drew Doughty and still had room to grow, younger names in the pool, like Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence, made him expendable. Halfway through a two-year, $3.4MM bridge deal with the Kings, L.A. traded him to Arizona in the 2023 offseason for a second-round pick.

It was a prudent move for the now-Utah-based franchise. Durzi was the Coyotes’ bona fide No. 1 defenseman in his lone season in the desert, leading skaters in average ice time with 22:43 and notching 41 points in 76 games. His defensive impacts exploded, too. His +3.1 expected rating led the team, and his 52.2 CF% at even strength finished second among qualified skaters behind Barrett Hayton. Established as a genuine top-pairing threat, Utah general manager Bill Armstrong got him some help on the trade market last offseason by picking up top-four stalwarts Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino.

Utah will have all three of those names in the lineup for the first time this season on Saturday. Marino didn’t make his season debut until mid-January after undergoing back surgery at the same time as Durzi. The former will hold down top-pairing duties alongside Sergachev. At the same time, Durzi will be eased back into the lineup in a third-pairing role alongside presumably Olli Määttä, Houston relayed from yesterday’s practice.

Durzi had two assists and a plus-two rating through his first four games in Utah before a hit from Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler put his season on pause. Utah is six points behind the Canucks for a wild-card spot and stands as a conservative seller on deadline day as things stand. Still, a fully healthy defense with another offensive weapon in Durzi could fuel a hot streak to put them back in the postseason conversation. The Western Conference’s mediocre depth means Utah only has Vancouver and the Flames to jump for a wild card spot, so their playoff chances still check in at 15.8%, according to MoneyPuck. Those could jump to north of 20% with a regulation win against Los Angeles.

• The Hurricanes announced they’ve promoted defenseman Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. While he’d been off the roster for a few days already prior to the break, he’s been a frequent traveler between Carolina and Chicago this season. He was last rostered for a game on Jan. 28 against the Rangers – his season debut, in which he recorded a fight and a shot on goal in 7:40 of ice time. A routine healthy scratch/extra defenseman, Stillman is close to requiring waivers again to head to the minors after clearing them in November. The 26-year-old has 2-3–5 with 41 PIMs and a minus-three rating in 20 AHL contests this year.
• The Stars announced they’ve recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel from AHL Texas. He was quietly shuttled down on Feb. 8 after making eight straight appearances for Dallas leading into the break. The 2022 first-rounder has 2-3–5 and a plus-six rating through his first 16 career NHL games, all coming this season, and will continue in a regular role for the time being with Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist on the shelf.
• The Canucks announced they’ve promoted all of center Nils Åman, forward Arshdeep Bains, and defenseman Elias Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford. They also added goalie Arturs Silovs from the Baby Canucks on an emergency loan and will have Nikita Tolopilo around as a practice goaltender until Kevin Lankinen is ready to return from representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although the latter won’t take up a roster spot. Åman and Pettersson were sent to Abbotsford on Feb. 8, but this is Bains’ first recall since late November. The 24-year-old winger had one goal and a minus-four rating in 11 games earlier this season but has remained a near point-per-game threat in the minors, posting 7-20–27 in 32 AHL games. He’ll now get another crack at NHL minutes in the final season of his entry-level contract. Silovs, who’s struggled to the tune of a 1-4-1 record and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season, will come up to serve as Lankinen’s No. 2 with Thatcher Demko still dealing with the undisclosed injury that caused him to leave Vancouver’s last pre-break game against the Maple Leafs. Tolopilo’s stay will be brief, and the 24-year-old will return to Abbotsford as soon as Lankinen is available.
• The Penguins called up winger Emil Bemström and goalie Joel Blomqvist from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and returned netminder Tristan Jarry to the minors in a corresponding transaction, the team announced. It’s a pure reversal of the moves Pittsburgh made after their last game on Feb. 8. Bemström has no points and two shots in two games since being recalled for the first time this season on Feb. 7, while Blomqvist has a 3-8-0 record with a .896 SV% and 3.54 GAA in 11 appearances on the year. The 23-year-old has struggled since taking over for Jarry on the roster, posting a .868 SV% in three starts since the veteran was waived in mid-January. The 29-year-old Jarry will continue to bide his time in the minors as he awaits another NHL chance, knocking on the door with a .924 SV% and 2.11 GAA in nine games.
• The Rangers announced they’ve recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford. The 22-year-old comes up to serve as Jonathan Quick’s backup with Igor Shesterkin not ready to return from the upper-body injury that kept him out of New York’s final game before the break. He’s sporting a .914 SV%, 2.73 GAA, three shutouts, and a 13-7-5 record in 25 showings with Hartford this year.
• The Blackhawks summoned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford, a team announcement states. Chicago sent the 22-year-old down at the beginning of the break for additional playing time in the minors, where he posted three shots and a plus-one rating in four games over the past couple of weeks. He has one assist in six NHL games since first being called up in late January and will continue competing for bottom-pairing minutes while Louis Crevier is on injured reserve with a concussion.
• The Bruins recalled defenseman Michael Callahan, center Matthew Poitras, and left-winger Riley Tufte from AHL Providence – the latter coming up under emergency conditions, per the team. Goaltender Michael DiPietro will also practice with the team while Jeremy Swayman remains with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off but won’t count against the active roster. Callahan’s and Poitras’ recalls are reversals of pre-break assignments, with the former’s recall serving as confirmation that Hampus Lindholm won’t be ready to come off LTIR before Saturday’s game against the Ducks. Tufte’s recall is his first since November, and his inclusion is a solid indication that Charlie McAvoy will be IR-bound after sustaining an upper-body injury and subsequent infection at the 4 Nations.
• The Jets announced they’ve recalled Kaapo Kähkönen from AHL Manitoba to serve as a practice player with Connor Hellebuyck slated to start for the Americans in Thursday’s 4 Nations championship. He’s played one NHL game since signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg last offseason – although it was for the Avalanche, who claimed him off waivers in October but lost him back to the Jets on the wire the following month. The 28-year-old has taken a tumble in Manitoba with a .885 SV% in 20 games – a worse save percentage than he posted on last year’s league-worst Sharks.
• The Sharks announced they’ve recalled forward Collin Graf and defenseman Jack Thompson from AHL San Jose. They were both assigned to the minors after their final pre-break game, although notably, veteran Andrew Poturalski remains in the minors after being demoted along with Graf and Thompson. The rookies are both likely to play next Sunday against the Flames.
• Utah announced they’d recalled winger Josh Doan from AHL Tucson after the previously reported summons of goaltender Jaxson Stauber. His reinstatement to the roster suggests Logan Cooley won’t be quite ready to return from his lower-body injury this weekend against the Kings, but general manager Bill Armstrong said yesterday he’s not expected out for much longer. Doan has 4-5–9 in 25 NHL games and 11-15–26 in 28 AHL games this year.
• The Blues will have goaltender Will Cranley join them for practice while Jordan Binnington remains with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the club announced. Cranley, 22, was a sixth-round pick of 2020 and is in his second season of pro hockey. He’s spent almost all of his time in the ECHL, where he has a .911 SV% and 2.28 GAA in 16 appearances with the Florida Everblades this year.
• The Predators recalled goalie Matt Murray to join them as a practice player while Juuse Saros returns from repping the Fins at the 4 Nations, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. Murray has yet to appear in a game for Nashville after spending the past few years in the Stars organization but has been recalled a few times as injury insurance this season. The 27-year-old has a sparkling .930 SV%, 2.17 GAA, two shutouts, and a 17-7-6 record for Milwaukee.
• The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forwards Gage Goncalves and Gabriel Fortier to join as practice players. Goncalves has served as Tampa Bay’s extra forward for much of the year. His NHL career is still young, and his one goal and seven points in 33 games with the Lightning marks the first scoring of his career. Goncalves has also scored 18 points in 14 AHL games this year. Fortier has spent his whole season in the minors and scored 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games. He ranks third on the Syracuse Crunch in goals and seventh in points.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Kolyachonok, 23, now joins his fourth NHL franchise. He was initially selected 52nd overall in the 2019 draft by the Panthers, who traded him to the Coyotes in the Anton Strålman offseason deal in 2021. The Belarusian defender jumped with his former Arizona teammates to Utah last summer but now finds himself headed east to Pittsburgh.

The interest in Kolyachonok stems from his two-way upside. He has decent size at 6’2″ and 195 lbs and has put up decent totals in the minors, recording 13-35–48 with a +12 rating in 150 career AHL games. None of those contests have come in 2024-25, as a revolving door of injuries on the Utah blue line meant he’s spent the entire season on the NHL roster. He was passable in a depth role, logging 2-3–5 with 19 blocks and 14 hits in 23 appearances. His underlying numbers were strong, posting a 52.9 CF% at even strength and a +1.7 expected rating, grading out better defensively than his actual minus-seven rating would otherwise indicate.

Pittsburgh hopes to tap into his remaining upside. At present, he’s an upgrade over their current seventh defenseman, Ryan Shea, who’s logged just three points in 53 games since making his NHL debut last season with middling possession impacts. He’ll likely knock Shea off the NHL roster if Pittsburgh needs to open space, but whether the lefty works his way into the lineup over Ryan Graves, Matt Grzelcyk, or Pierre-Olivier Joseph remains to be seen.

Utah could reclaim Kolyachonok and send him directly to the minors if the Penguins place him on waivers again this season, although they’d need to be the only team to submit a claim to do so.

Utah has carried eight defensemen on the active roster for much of the regular season due to long-term injuries to John Marino, Sean Durzi, and Robert Bortuzzo. Kolyachonok’s placement on waivers indicates the team is close to activating Durzi or Bortuzzo given that Marino has already been activated.

The injuries have allowed Kolyachonok to achieve a career-high in games played this season. The native of Minsk, Belarus, has scored two goals and seven points in 23 games this year, averaging 12:20 of ice time per night.

He has significantly improved his possession metrics, boasting a 52.9% Corsi For% at even strength, which is 7.3% higher than his previous career high. However, considering his relative youth, Kolyachonok would likely benefit from playing in the AHL.

Should he clear waivers, it will be his first time playing for the AHL Roadrunners this season. He scored eight goals and 11 points in 36 games in Tucson last season but has only been rostered in the NHL this year.

The improved quality of possession may give Kolyachonok a strong chance of being claimed. The Nashville Predators, currently ranked third-to-last in the league standings, could be a viable option for him. With Kevin Gravel filling in on the left side of their bottom pairing while Jeremy Lauzon recovers from injury, the Predators might consider Kolyachonok an upgrade over Gravel and a potential seventh defenseman.

Guenther, 21, last played on Jan. 8 against the Panthers. Utah announced the following day that he’d be sidelined indefinitely with a lower-body issue. However, his absence was not as long as the team feared. He began skating last week, after which Tourigny told reporters he had been upgraded to day-to-day.

At the time of his injury, Guenther was Utah’s leader in goals with 16 through 40 games. He’s since been surpassed by Clayton Keller, who now has 18, but still ranks second. Adding 18 assists for 34 points, he’s a vital piece of Utah’s present and future offense – a belief the organization shares, considering they inked him to an eight-year, $57.14MM extension during training camp.

He’s operated at a 70-point pace through his first season in Salt Lake after ending last season with 35 points in 45 games for the Coyotes. The 2021 ninth-overall pick did exit the lineup amid a dry spell with two assists in his last eight games, but he’ll look to get back on track on a line with Michael Carcone and Barrett Hayton.

Coming out of the lineup to make room for Guenther is alternate captain Lawson Crouse, Tourigny said. The 27-year-old figures to be a healthy scratch for the first time since the 2019-20 season. He’s had a cataclysmic 2024-25 campaign, limited to just seven goals and 11 points through 52 games.

Utah has fallen below the .500 mark after a five-game losing streak and ranks 24th in the league with 2.77 goals per game, a figure Guenther will be key in improving down the stretch. Utah’s playoff chances have fallen to 10% as a result of their recent struggles, per Hockey Reference.

Walker, an undersized but speedy center, is in his third season of professional hockey. The 25-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Lightning back in 2017, but after a fruitful four-year tenure at the University of Minnesota, they opted not to sign him. He hit free agency and signed with his hometown Wild in the 2022 offseason.

The 5’10” pivot earned a handful of call-ups across his first two campaigns, getting into 13 games with Minnesota while recording a goal and an assist. He posted a minus-four rating during that time and averaged 10:13 per game, struggling to control play with a 43.2 CF% at even strength.

Most of his time has been spent on the farm in AHL Iowa, where he’s steadily regressed since an All-Star rookie season. He led Iowa with 27 goals and had 48 points in 56 games, even earning a spot on the United States’ roster for the 2023 World Championship. His offensive output dropped to 14 goals and 45 points in 70 AHL games last year, though, and has completely fallen off a cliff to the tune of two goals and 11 points through 30 games in 2024-25.

As such, Walker was tracking for his first campaign without an NHL recall. He’ll now get the chance to rediscover his game in the Utah organization, joining a marginally stronger Tucson roster, while the Wild open a fourth contract slot in advance of the trade deadline.