The Utah Hockey Club’s general manager Bill Armstrong has roughly $40 million in cap space at his disposal this offseason. However, much of it will have to be spent on bringing back these six defensemen, if they want to re-sign in Utah: Sean Durzi, J.J. Moser, Juuso Välimäki, Josh Brown, Travis Dermott, and Michael Kesselring. Here’s a look at what their next contracts should look like.
Sean Durzi
After trading defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to the Carolina Hurricanes at the NHL Trade Deadline, the Arizona Coyotes, with many draft picks in their basket, wanted to bring in another defenseman with similar offensive capabilities. On June 24, 2023, they traded the Montreal Canadiens’ 2024 second-round pick in exchange for Sean Durzi from the Los Angeles Kings. The Canadian set career-highs in assists (32) and points (41) in his third season in the league and was given top pair and power-play minutes, averaging over 22 minutes per game.
Durzi has continued to increase his point totals and has improved his plus/minus during his young career. However, to solidify his chances of being paid as a top-pair player, he will need to become more consistent. In his first 41 games as a Coyote, he scored eight goals. In the second half of the season, he only found the back of the net once, an empty-net goal in the Coyotes’ potential last game in Arizona.
While defensemen are not always relied on for their goal-scoring capabilities, one goal in the second half is unacceptable, especially playing on Arizona’s top power-play unit with Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller. However, 19 of his 32 points on the year came on the power play.
The 25-year-old still has a few more years before he hits his prime. Coming off the last year of a $1.7 million annual deal, look for him to get a raise as he arguably is Utah’s best player on the back end.
If he decides to bring Durzi back, I could see Armstrong going one of two ways. Utah could offer him a bridge contract (two to three years) to prove his worth around $4.5 million to $5 million annually. Then, if he becomes a 50-point-plus scorer and can produce at five-on-five, management could lock him up long-term.
Or, if Artmostrong thinks he has seen enough promise from their 6-foot, 188-pound defenseman, give him a five-year deal worth $6.5 million to $7 million. While this deal has a little bit of a risk to it, by showing trust in their restricted free agent (RFA), he will not lack confidence in his game. It will be interesting to see how much the right-handed shot receives. The last Coyotes defenseman to be paid top dollar was Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
J.J. Moser
Durzi’s defensive partner this season was the Swiss-born J.J. Moser. The 6-foot-1, 173-pound, left-handed shot was drafted with the Colorado Avalanche’s second-round selection of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Coyotes. The New York Islanders sent forward Andrew Ladd and several draft picks (Colorado’s 2021 second was one of them) to the Coyotes to take on Ladd’s cap hit.
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During Arizona’s roster overhaul during the 2021 offseason, Armstrong wasted no time signing Moser to play at the NHL level right out of the draft. He has provided a two-way and flexible playing style around a defensive core that has continued to change over several seasons. The past two years in the desert, Moser has been a 20 to 30-point scorer and can play on either the left or right side for head coach André Tourigny.
With that being said, the 24-year-old is a year younger than Durzi, giving him more time to develop before he hits his stride. Moser still has top-four potential and contributes during even-strength play. While he was splitting time on the Coyotes’ second man-advantage unit, he is still developing his offensive skills. With his rookie deal expiring, look for Utah to sign him to a three-year deal at $3.5 million to $4 million annually.
Juuso Välimäki
The 25-year-old was claimed off of waivers from the Calgary Flames by the Coyotes on Oct. 8, 2022. The first-round pick from the 2017 NHL Entry Draft struggled to live up to his draft status in Calgary. Since then, Välimäki revitalized his career in Arizona; he scored 34 points in 78 games in the 2022-23 season. The same year, the Finland native earned time on the Coyotes’ top power-play unit.
With the acquisition of the Durzi, he and Moser split time on Arizona’s second power-play unit the following season. Playing in 10 fewer games, he tallied 17 points as his workload was reduced in 2023-24. Furthermore, to start the season, the Coyotes had defensemen Troy Stecher and Matt Dumba competing for ice time.
Although Välimäki may have had a down year from his career-best season, like all the defensemen mentioned so far, he is still young and has room to grow. After all, the Coyotes got him for free by claiming him off waivers. Even though his point production declined from the year before, he had the best plus/minus rating on the Coyotes with a plus-12 and was making roughly $1.5 million annually over the past two seasons. Therefore, by offering him a two-year contract worth $1.75 million to $2 million, he can continue to advance his craft, playing on Utah’s second or third defensive pairings.
Travis Dermott
I think Travis Dermott is the least likely to be re-signed of the six defensemen, but he is a bottom-pairing defender. After playing 28 games over the past two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, he joined Arizona looking to prove his worth as an NHL regular. The Canadian was partnered with Josh Brown for most of the season and struggled. He was a minus-14 (the worst plus/minus rating of his career) and had the fourth worst plus/minus rating on the Coyotes, playing in 50 games.
On the bright side, Dermott produced his best offensive campaign in four seasons, with seven points. If the left-handed shot is brought back to play for Utah, he is a serviceable seventh defenseman who can be put into the lineup periodically. Making $1.5 million this season, expect him to take a pay cut as his role with the team will most likely be cut back. This one-year deal ranging from $1 million to $1.25 million will be a make-it-or-break-it contract in Utah’s inaugural season.
Josh Brown
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound, right-handed shot had his best NHL season to date, setting career-highs in assists (7) and points (10) at 30 years old. Brown is a physical shot-blocking defenseman who is a reliable penalty-killer. Over the past two seasons, he has blocked 203 shots and dished out 264 hits in 119 games.
While Brown may lack speed and offensive skills, he is not afraid to stand up for his teammates and stir the pot. The sixth-round pick by the Florida Panthers in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft has been in 12 fights in the past two seasons. I think Armstrong will have to pick between Dermott or Brown as the extra defenseman for next season. Assuming they sign quality defensemen or other positions with their $40 million in cap space, there might not be room for both of them to receive the playing time they would like in 2024-25. Anticipate him to get a slight increase to a one-year deal at $1.5 million.
Michael Kesselring
The American-born defenseman was acquired with a 2023 third-round selection from the Edmonton Oilers for forward Nick Bjugstad and defenseman Cam Dineen. Kesselring was tied for second in plus/minus rating on Arizona with a plus-11. The 24-year-old played in 65 games this season, scoring five goals and 21 points. The Coyotes got great value from this trade as he was playing in Bakersfield with the Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) at the time. Bjugstad also re-signed in Arizona the following offseason.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound, right-handed shot was not afraid to mix things up, either. Kesserling dropped the gloves several times this season. Considering he has only played 74 games at the NHL level, Utah’s management has to be happy with what they have seen from him. The Oilers’ sixth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft still has time to develop and prove his worth. So far, he is on the right track. His rookie deal is up, so he should get a three-year contract worth $1.5 million to $2 million annually.
After signing defensemen Patrick Koch and Vladislav Kolyachonok before the free agent market opens on Monday, former first-rounder Victor Söderström’s contract is up for renewal. After short stints up with the Coyotes the past four seasons, he may be ready to make the jump to the NHL full-time. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if Utah decides to make any splashes in free agency before their inaugural season.
