Utah added to its defensive depth by adding 34-year-old Kevin Connauton to a two-year deal worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV) on Monday. The travelling defensemen last appeared in the NHL in 2021-22 with Philadelphia. In 2023-24, he was an assistant captain for Ontario (AHL) and had three goals and 18 points in 61 games played.
Durzi made a strong first impression in his first season in Arizona and has earned a four-year, $24 million ($6,000,000 AAV) contract extension with Utah. The 25-year-old offensive defensemen took a massive step forward in 2023-24, with nine goals, 41 points, 142 SOG, 63 PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in 76 games played.
Schmidt is in the final season of a six-year, $35.7 million contract that he signed with Vegas back in 2018 and has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout on Sunday. The 32-year-old is in his 12th NHL season and is set to be owed $5,950,000 in 2024-25. In 63 games played with Winnipeg in 2023-24, he had two goals, 14 points, 75 SOG and a +10 plus/minus.
Utah acquired its second big defensive piece of the day Saturday by grabbing John Marino and a 2024 5th Round Pick from New Jersey for a 2024 2nd Round Pick and a 2025 2nd Round Pick. The 27-year-old Marino completed his fifth NHL season in 2023-24 and had four goals, 25 points, 41 PIMs and 57 SOG in 75 games played.
Utah surprised the hockey world on Saturday morning as it acquired highly coveted defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay for JJ Moser, Conor Geekie, a 2024 2nd Round Pick and a 2024 7th Round Pick. The 26-year-old defenseman will join his third NHL team in his eight-year career and had two goals and 19 points in 34 games in 2023-24. He is one season removed from a 10-goal, 64-point campaign in 2022-23.
Crowd favourite Liam "Spicy Tuna" O'Brien will be returning to Utah after the team announced on Wednesday that they have signed him to a three-year, $3 million contract extension ($1,000,000 AAV). The 29-year-old bruising forward completed his third straight 100+ PIM season in 2023-24 and had five goals, 14 points, 72 SOG and 153 PIMs in 75 games played.
McCartney was drafted in the seventh round in 2020 and has appeared in just two career NHL games since. The 22-year-old winger spent the entire 2024 season in the AHL, where he scored six goals with 16 assists (22 points) in 46 games with the Tucson Roadrunners.
Desimone was claimed off waivers by the Devils in January and had two points (1G / 1A) in 11 NHL games with the Devils. Prior to being waived, he had five points (1G / 4A) in 23 games with the Flames. Expect Desimone to be a sixth or seventh defenseman for the Devils in 2024-25.
Utah solidified their goaltending depth on Wednesday as they signed goaltender Matt Villalta to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The 25-year-old spent the majority of his 2023-24 with Tucson (AHL) but made his NHL debut for two games with Arizona, going 0-1-0 with a 4.17 GAA and .828 SV%.
Schmidt has yet to appear in the playoffs for Winnipeg but will replace Logan Stanley on Winnipeg's third defensive pair on Friday for Game 3 in Colorado. The 32-year-old had two goals, 14 points, 75 SOG, 16 PIMs and a +10 plus/minus in 63 games played during the regular season.
Sergachev has been out since February 7th due to a lower-body injury and has unfortunately been ruled out for the remainder of the first round. The 25-year-old appeared in only 34 games this season and had two goals, 19 points, 53 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -16 plus/minus.
Sergachev was initially ruled out for all of Round 1, but participating in full on Saturday suggests that he's getting close to returning to the Lightning lineup. At this point, consider him questionable to play in Game 1 on Sunday.
Yamamoto will sit out the Kraken's regular season finale on Thursday in order to make way for the return of Eeli Tolvanen (undisclosed). Yamamoto finishes his 2023-24 season with eight goals and eight assists in 59 games.
Noah Juulsen will draw into the lineup for the Canucks on Thursday, allowing Cole to have the night off in their final game before the playoffs. Cole ends the 2023-24 campaign with 11 points (2G / 9A) and 166 blocks in 78 games.
Schmidt has not played the last six games but will draw back into the lineup for the Jets' final game of the season. The 32-year-old Schmidt has 13 points (2G / 11A), 64 hits, and 76 blocks in 62 games this season.
The Coyotes will continue their goalie rotation and turn to Vejmelka in the crease on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Coyotes have won three of their last four (3-1-0), but Vejmelka has allowed four or more goals in his last three starts (1-2-0), including five on 25 shots (.800 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-0 blowout loss to the Seattle Kraken. Arizona enters action a +251 road underdog.
