Forty-eight hours can change a lot, especially in the NHL, where trades and signings can happen in a flash, almost in a blink of an eye. On the trade front, that’s expected at the NHL Draft; it’s the holy grail of trades, other than the trade deadline, as anything can happen, and the unpredictability leaves fans wondering what’s next. It would be an understatement to say that the Utah Hockey Club did that during the 2024 NHL Draft, as they made various moves that left the crowd at the Sphere in Las Vegas in shock.
Related: Cole Beaudoin a Sign of Utah’s New Culture
Granted, it was the first draft in Utah history; they would make history regardless of what happened, even if they kept all 13 draft choices that they entered with on Friday night. However, that didn’t happen as they traded up with the Colorado Avalanche, taking center Cole Beaudoin and the biggest move of the entire draft, trading for Tampa Bay Lighting defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. That move highlighted all 32 teams as it came out of left field, and even though we knew Utah was going to reshape the blue line, we didn’t know to what magnitude. Not to mention their sixth overall draft pick, Tij Iginla, son of Calgary Flames legend Jarome Iginla.
Now, let’s break down the implications each of these moves have for Utah and general manager Bill Armstrong, who is championing massive changes that mark the dawn of a new era in Salt Lake City.
Iginla Immediately Becomes Top Prospect in Utah System
When the Montreal Canadians took Russian winger and highly sought-after prospect Ivan Demidov, Utah was on the clock with a plethora of options on the board. Zeev Buium, Carter Yakemchuk, and Sam Dickinson were on the board, and Armstrong had three of the top defensive prospects to choose from. Well, he didn’t choose any of them and took Iginla, who became Utah’s first-ever draft pick in franchise history, as well as their top prospect in the system.
Iginla played in the Western Hockey League for the Kelowna Rockets this season, where he registered 47 goals and 84 points, adding 15 points in the playoffs. The sharp shooter excelled after being sheltered a year prior with the Seattle Thunderbirds, where Iginla actually played with Dylan Guenther for a bit.
“There’s a certain attraction to the name,” Bill Armstrong said. “When you get to know them, and we take our time, getting to know them all year long by interviewing them, going to combines, we meet their parents, we bring them in. By the end you you know, it’s not the name. You fall in love with the player and his talent level. You forget about the name. That’s crucial for us. The name, you can celebrate on draft day, but he’s got to have talent, and he’s got to have passion. He’s got to want to bleed for Utah. We believe he has that, and he’ll stand on his own. I think he’s gonna make his own name in the NHL.”
Iginla will attend Utah’s first development camp in Park City from July 1-5, hoping to make a lasting impression on the fans.
Beaudoin Has High Ceiling, But Several Bridges to Cross
This one came as a surprise, but something Armstrong has preached since the day he got here. They had multitudes of draft assets at their disposal, and it’s obvious that they couldn’t use all of them; it would simply be impossible to sign all those players. So, they made a move with the Avalanche when they traded picks 38, 71, and the New York Rangers’ 2025 second-round pick for selection 24.
With the 24th selection, they went to the Ontario Hockey League, taking Beaudoin, who has been praised for his strength and relentlessness. This pick came as a bit of a surprise, as this is the first time Armstrong has ever drafted out of the OHL, but it’s a good pick once you see the type of player and play style Beaudoin possesses. This season, the 18-year-old registered 28 goals and 62 points in 64 games with the Barrie Colts.
Beaudoin, in a sense, is the replacement for Conor Geekie in the Sergachev trade (we’ll touch on this shortly), and those are big shoes to fill. Of course, Geekie has yet to take the ice in the NHL, but he was arguably Utah’s best prospect before being dealt. Beaudoin has an extremely high ceiling, and there’s rarely a battle he can’t win, especially along the boards.
Beaudoin is now unquestionably Utah’s best center prospect and will hope to have a big season with the Colts as he navigates his way to the NHL.
Marino & Sergachev Trades Give Utah a New Look on the Blue Line
Now, where things got interesting for Armstrong and Utah, after the first round, drafting two forwards was a head-scratcher; it didn’t make a lot of sense considering the team’s most significant need was their blue line. Don’t get it twisted; they were good picks; many just figured they’d draft a defenseman. As the teams got deeper into the second round, the horn in the Sphere sounded, and Bill Daly had a trade to announce. The anticipation in the crowd heightened as Utah traded Geekie, J.J. Moser, a 2025 second, and a 2024 seventh-round pick, which wound up at pick 199, for defenseman Sergachev.
This was a stunner, to say the least, and by far the biggest trade of the entire draft. With questions about whether Dmitri Simashev could be a number one defenseman, those were shut down as Sergachev became the clear-cut number one defenseman. Minutes later, they traded pick 49 and Edmonton’s 2025 second-round selection for New Jersey Devils defenseman John Marino. Utah had completely reshaped its blue line in mere minutes and now had two legitimate top-four defensemen on the roster, something they lacked this season.
Trading Geekie was a shock to most, but sometimes, that’s the price for a number-one defenseman in today’s NHL. Restricted free agent (RFA) Moser, a rock on the blue line for the past three years with the Arizona Coyotes, also got dealt in the deal, which surprised many, too. However, the NHL is a business, and sometimes you need to trade players like this for a bigger fish, who was, in this case, Sergachev.
Monumental Moves for Armstrong & Utah with Free Agency Around the Corner
These moves signal Armstrong is comfortable taking that next step in the rebuild. They know they won’t be contending for a Stanley Cup next season, but they now have a roster that could sneak into the playoffs as a wild-card team. That’s likely not on their mind now, as free agency begins tomorrow, and they have $22 million more in cap space that they’ll likely use to their advantage. Who they’ll go after isn’t clear; likely another bottom-pairing defenseman and perhaps a middle-six forward; it’s doubtful a player with Steven Stamkos’ profile will be targeted; that wouldn’t make a lot of sense. The past 72 hours have been restless, to say the least, but with free agency around the corner, things might spiral out of control with even more moves on the horizon.
