Utah attacked the draft. Here’s what the team acquired and what’s next

Bill Armstrong knew he had a good hand in Vegas.

The Utah Hockey Club’s general manager arrived with a first-round pick (No. 6 overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft and 12 more the following day. He left the team with an elite defenseman, two first-round prospects, a veteran defenseman and nine more picks that provide more depth on defense and at center.

“We attacked the draft,” Armstrong said Friday after selecting Tij Iginla with the No. 6 pick and taking Cole Beaudoin in the first round. “We have assets. When you see guys you don’t like but love, if you can get to them, you have to go for it.”

The next morning, he acquired a star – in exchange with the Tampa Bay Lightning for two-time Stanley Cup winner Mikhail Sergachev.

Utah knew it was making history when it selected the first draft pick in franchise history, but it took some effort to improve the team.

Here’s a look back at Utah’s first foray into the NHL Draft and a look ahead to the upcoming free agent signing period.

Utah Hockey Club causes a stir with its first draft

Early Saturday morning, the trade alert rang out through the Sphere in Las Vegas and the crowd gasped audibly when it was announced that Sergachev had been traded to Utah.

“Mikhail Sergachev is a proven winner and point scorer and has long been one of the best defensemen in the NHL,” said Armstrong. “Mikhail is a top two-way defenseman in the NHL and you can’t win in this league without a star defenseman. We are very excited to welcome Mikhail to our organization and look forward to many years of him leading our defense.”

Chris Armstrong, Utah’s president of hockey operations, added: “Signing one of the NHL’s best defensemen – and two-time Stanley Cup winner – demonstrates our commitment to our fans and our team. We will take the necessary steps to realize the full potential of this organization.”

Sergachev comes at a price. Utah lost a promising young player in 19-year-old Conor Geekie, who was ranked as the organization’s No. 4 most promising prospect by The Athletic, and defenseman JJ Moser, who played 162 games for Arizona over the past two seasons.

Acquiring John Marino in a trade from the New Jersey Devils — a trade announced shortly after the Sergachev deal — will help fill an immediate need. Ryan Jankowski, assistant director of amateur scouting, said trading for Beaudoin (who Bill Armstrong says has a “work ethic that could change the culture of our organization”) mitigates the loss of Geekie.

“I think we filled the need (on Friday),” Jankowski said. “You lose Conor, but now you may have his replacement later.”

With Sergachev, Utah gets a top-class defender who is only in the second year of an eight-year contract extension he signed with Tampa Bay.

“He’s a young guy, so he’s got room to develop,” said Darryl Plandowski, Utah’s director of amateur scouting. “Defenders develop a little later than forwards and are so valuable. It costs us some money, but it’s worth it. He’s going to play a big role in our future.”

Tij Iginla: History AND Fame

Before the draft, team owner Ryan Smith thought about which player would be the first draft pick to wear the Utah jersey.

“It’s the first time, the first moment, but more than that, there’s a family and a boy who has worked his whole life to get to this moment, and he gets to be the very first draft pick in the history of the Utah franchise,” Smith said.

This family is simply Really famous in hockey circles.

Tij Iginla is a 17-year-old forward from Kelowna of the Western Hockey League.

His father, Jarome Iginla, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020. His professional resume includes:

• Six-time NHL All-Star.

• Two-time winner of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goalscorer (2001–02, 2003–04).

• Winner of the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s points leader during the 2001/02 season.

• Two-time gold medalist for Canada.

Jarome Iginla scored two goals for the Canadian national team in the gold medal game at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Armstrong called the younger Iginla an “amazing kid” with playing ability.

“It’s not the name,” Armstrong said. “You fall in love with the player and his talent and forget the name. … The name can be celebrated on draft day, but he has to have talent, he has to have passion and he has to want to bleed for Utah, and we believe he has that. … He’s going to make a name for himself in Utah.”

Armstrong laughed as he recounted telling Iginla, “We have a lot of players on our roster who score 20 goals. We need a player who scores 50 goals. No pressure.”

Utah Hockey Club could achieve a lot in free agency, but probably won’t

The NHL’s free agent signing period begins Monday. Before the draft, Utah had the most salary cap space in the league, and both Armstrong and Smith were asked at the NHL Draft about the team’s plans for signing free agents. Both emphasized patience and balance.

Armstrong has talked about not blocking the path to young talent in the organization by signing too many free agents. He reiterated that message after Friday’s first round, while also praising the organization’s deep pool of young players.

“We have to be realistic. We have young players,” Armstrong said. “Most of the players who were superstars (in the Stanley Cup Final) have been around for 10 years. … When you look at the numbers and go through them when guys are peaking, it’s hard to say Logan Cooley is going to lead us to the Stanley Cup next year. We have to adjust our expectations for the team. I believe we’re probably going to have some of the most talented young players in the NHL … so it’s an exciting time for the organization, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself by adding a bunch of free agents to the roster.”

Sergachev appears to be part of the long-term plan. As mentioned, he’s only 26 and has seven seasons left on his contract, so he should make the team better immediately without hindering the development of younger players. Much of Utah’s organizational depth is at the forward position, and acquiring Sergachev and Marino via trade makes Utah better on defense before free agency even begins.

“From a salary cap standpoint and coming into the season, I’m very conscious of where we are,” Smith said. “I’m very conscious of what the market looks like and what our options are. My message all the time — and our actions will definitely show that — is that my job is to support our team and support Bill. …

“That’s the balance. You have to constantly deal with conflicting emotions. You want to win now, but you want to win long-term. You want to create that culture. But we’re young. We’re young. And the future looks really bright.”