Regrading Utah Hockey Club’s Summer Trade For Sergachev
Nov 29, 2024, 4:13 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – Amidst the inaugural NHL Draft for the Utah Hockey Club where they selected twice in the first round, the front office continued to make noise when they traded for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Mikhail Sergachev.
Now five months later and nearly eight weeks into his first season with the Utah Hockey Club, the trade has worked out remarkably well for the NHL’s newest franchise and their top defenseman.
Sergachev’s production on both ends has been critical for Utah Hockey Club
Dating back to the last few years in Arizona, the Coyotes consistently struggled defensively and hadn’t been able to find a true No. 1 defenseman. While they did trade for Sean Durzi in June of 2023 which was also a fantastic addition to their blue line, they were still in search of an elite defenseman to lead the way.
Enter Mr. Sergachev.
“He is [a No. 1 defenseman] and that’s the reason for the deal is we wanted to cement that top end [defenseman] that can play a ton of minutes,” Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said. “Good thick body on him, plays hard, blocks shots, can play in the offense and defense and he’s won. He’s got a lot to bring into our culture. The other thing too is we’ve got some Russian players in [Daniil] But and [Dmitry] Simashev that are coming to our organization that are high-end players, and he’s going to have a great impact on them also as a leader.”
In 22 games with his new club, Sergachev has lived up to the way that Armstrong described him. Currently, No. 98 has six goals (tied for third amongst all NHL defenseman), nine assists, 15 points, 39 blocks and delivered 15 hits while skating almost 26 minutes a night (team-high).
He’s been SO good. Incredible new chapter for Sergachev with #UtahHC https://t.co/p7QYhLCx8e
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 27, 2024
He’s also scored several critical goals for Utah, including an overtime game winner against Montreal that secured two massive points for the club on the tail end of a four-game road trip.
Full Story: Mikhail Sergachev Lifts Utah Hockey Club To Overtime Win
That’s a defenseman crashing the net and scoring a game winner.
Every day that goes by, the trade for Sergachev looks better and better.#UtahHC https://t.co/8PU2CJta8c
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 27, 2024
“Its big. Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot and fighting for wins. So, it means a lot for both teams, but we come out on top. I’m happy…today we played good and got the result. It feels great. Just got to keep it going,” Sergachev said after scoring the game winner in Montreal.
Strictly from a production standpoint, Sergachev has been crucial to Utah’s nine wins.
A season ago, Durzi led all Coyotes defensemen with nine goals and 32 assists. J.J. Moser, who was sent to Tampa as part of the Sergachev trade, was second with five goals and 21 assists. Currently, Moser has two goals and six assists for Tampa this season.
At his current pace, Sergachev is on track to finish the season with 22 goals (would be a career-high) and 33 assists for Utah. You also can’t overlook his defensive numbers as he’s second in blocks on Utah’s roster with 39, which is significant since not everybody is as willing to sacrifice their own body to keep pucks out of the net.
Additionally, Sergachev has only sat in the box for eight minutes total this season. So, while penalties have been an issue for Utah, their defensive leader is making sure to lead by example and stay out of the sin bin.
Sergachev’s leadership has been invaluable for Utah Hockey Club
From the moment Sergachev stepped on the ice at Delta Center in game one, he’s been a primary leader for the Utah Hockey Club. Both in word and deed he’s stepped up for Utah, led them through key injuries to the blue line, scored big goals, been vocal when they’ve required correction and begun to alter the culture of the organization.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
“We’re not giving up. We can stay in the fight and we can win.” @utahhockeyclub defenseman Mikhail Sergachev on the team’s mentality, which allowed them to defeat Montreal 3-2 in overtime pic.twitter.com/3fsBfcyQxd
— Utah Hockey Club PR (@UtahHC_PR) November 27, 2024
“When you get to know Sergy…how professional, serious he is about his role, his job and how professional he is, I think that it rubs off on everybody. Players lean on him, listen to him, trust him, so I think he’s just grown in his role every day,” Coach Andre Tourigny said.
“I’m pleased by how much he studies the game and his detail about what’s going on around the league, on our team. I’m pleased about the way he addresses issues on our team in a calm and composed way. He has a really good opinion and a good understanding of when it’s time to talk and when it’s not,” Tourigny added.
Based on everything he’s been doing, it’s no surprise that Sergachev was awarded with an “A” on his sweater so quickly. Not only has this team needed more of a defensive leader, but they’ve also needed more leadership overall this season, and he’s answered the call in a very impactful way that’s been invaluable for this team.
Olli Maatta on Sergachev’s leadership: “I think he’s an elite defenseman in this league…he does it all…defends really well…he runs our first power play. He puts points up. There’s not many of those guys in this league…Whenever he talks, everybody listens.”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/WpgCQH5uP2
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 21, 2024
“I think he’s an elite defenseman in this league…he does it all…defends really well…he runs our first power play. He puts points up. There’s not many of those guys in this league…Whenever he talks, everybody listens,” Olli Maatta said.
What grade does the trade deserve nearly two months into the NHL season?
Now, this was never a bad trade from either team. Both organizations were able to get what they were looking for and seem to be pleased, but it was still a fairly hefty price for Utah pay.
In exchange for Sergachev, Tampa cleared up some cap space, received a decent defenseman in Moser, a fairly promising young player in Conor Geekie, a 2024 seventh-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. Also, considering Sergachev only played in 34 games last season and had to recover from fractures to his left tibia and fibula, there was some risk involved.
But after 22 games and what Sergachev has already done for the Utah Hockey Club, this trade deserves and A+.
On the flipside, I’d have to go with an A- for the Lightning as the return is dependent on how Geekie and that second-round pick pan out.
As previously mentioned, this was never a bad trade for either side. However, the difference is that Utah already knows what they got and its arguably surpassed expectations. They’ve received a No. 1 defenseman who can heavily impact both sides of the ice, has proven he’s already worthy of an “A” on his sweater, will happily play a ton of minutes and is changing the culture of the club.
“It’s one thing to talk, it’s another to demonstrate and be an example. I think that’s what he does the best. He put his head down to block a ninety-seven mile an hour slapshot. Those aren’t words, those are actions. I’ve always felt like your leaders have to be your best players at the right time, under pressure. They also have to lead by example, and I think he does both of those,” General Manager Bill Armstrong said.
So, based on early returns, this appears to be a trade Utah won even if the margin is small.
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