Training camp rosters were released Tuesday for the Utah Hockey Club and most of the former Arizona Coyotes and Tucson Roadrunners players were on the roster. However, former top defensive prospect Victor Soderstrom was not included after news broke on Sunday that the defenseman would be heading to Brynas of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). The 2019011th overall pick has had a fall from grace after being one of the best prospects on the blue line for a while with the Coyotes.
Soderstrom’s Career So Far
Soderstrom started his career with Brynas in 2017-18. The defenseman played with the J20 team before graduating to the SHL team in his draft year. Soderstrom scored seven points in 44 games but was praised for his defensive play before anything else, playing against players sometimes twice his age.
At the 2019 Draft, the Coyotes traded up to the 11th pick and selected Soderstrom. Although playing decently in a skilled league, the choice was deemed a reach as players like Alex Newhook, Cole Caufield, Matt Boldy, and Thomas Harley were still available. Former general manager John Chayka called him a core player who would help the team for a long time.
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After one more season with Brynas, Soderstrom made the jump to North America. The defenseman split time between the NHL and the American Hockey League (AHL), mainly playing with the Roadrunners. In his four games with the Coyotes, he scored his first and to date, only goal in the NHL.
For the next three seasons, Soderstrom split time between the Roadrunners and the Coyotes, mainly playing in the AHL. His longest stint in the NHL was 30 games in the 2022-23 season. Last season, he only played three games with the Coyotes and 62 games with the Roadrunners.
With the offseason acquisitions of Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Ian Cole, and Robert Bortuzzo, the blue line is suddenly very crowded. It hurts even more when you factor in Maveric Lamoreux and Dmitry Simashev who are currently ahead of Soderstrom on the depth chart. The Swede hasn’t turned out as an effective producer either, which has hurt his chances at making Utah’s roster.
What Can Utah Do With Soderstrom?
Soderstrom opted to return to Sweden this offseason by signing a two-year deal with Brynas. However, if the defenseman wants to make a comeback in the next two seasons, it will have to be with Utah. His rights will be retained by the team until he reaches unrestricted free agent (UFA) status. However, Utah will have some options with him.
The first option is to obviously keep him and attempt to fit him in the lineup. This option will be hard since a lot of the blue line is locked up to long-term deals. Sergachev, Marino, and Sean Durzi will be in Utah for the long run. Juuso Valimaki and Michael Kesselring’s deals are expiring within the next couple of seasons, but it’ll be surprising if they don’t return.
That leaves Cole and Bortuzzo as the only spots that could be replaced. However, Lamoreux will be with the Roadrunners this season and has already impressed the organization in this season’s rookie camp. Simashev is about a season or two from coming over to North America, and he’ll be getting priority above almost anyone. That means heading to Utah probably won’t be in the fold.
Utah could trade Soderstrom to another team. A team like the Anaheim Ducks or the Chicago Blackhawks, who are rebuilding teams, can offer the defenseman a spot in their lineup. However, do those teams want to trade for him? It brings up the question of what is Soderstrom worth. His value is at an all-time low after some disappointing seasons in the Coyotes organization. You could see a similar trade to the Jan Jenik deal, where two teams swap struggling prospects. Other than that, the Swede isn’t going to command much on the market.
That leaves the third and most likely option: leave Soderstrom in Sweden. Utah will lose his rights in a couple of years, and he’ll be able to sign wherever he wants. It’s not unheard of for players to go over to Europe to better their game and then come back over for a chance to make an impact in the NHL. It could be a similar situation with Soderstrom, who will be one of the top players for Brynas.
The relationship between Soderstrom and Utah is all but over. While the team will maintain the defenseman’s rights for the next two years, it’s all but certain that he will never play a game for Utah. It’s certainly disappointing for fans who hoped he would show why Chayka traded up to get him back in 2019. However, while Soderstrom’s NHL career is over right now, it wouldn’t be surprising if he attempts a comeback at a future point in time.
