ROSTER RUNDOWN
Making the cut
With the word that forward Nick Bjugstad and defenseman John Marino are week to week with upper-body injuries, the door could be open for a couple of players on the roster. Cole Beaudoin, in particular, has made an impression on seemingly everyone who has seen him, including at the 2024 Rookie Faceoff. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound forward taken with the No. 24 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft had 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) in 67 games with Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League last season and has been praised by Armstrong for his work ethic and the culture the 18-year-old brings. Maveric Lamoureux, 20, is another option to make the team either out of camp or at some point this season. The 6-foot-6 defenseman was the No. 29 pick in 2022 and is coming off a 33-point (nine goals, 24 assists) in 39-game season with Drummondville of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Most intriguing addition
On June 29, Utah traded for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, adding a major piece to a defense that it would revamp by also adding Marino from the New Jersey Devils. But Sergachev has the bigger upside, a Cup-winning, 26-year-old who is signed for seven more years and can be a No. 1 defenseman for a team on the rise. Sergachev is coming off a season in which he played 34 games with 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) because of a knee injury, but returned for two games in the playoffs and had an assist.
Biggest potential surprise
Barrett Hayton is just one of the impressive crop of young, talented players that Utah boasts, but he has a chance to be a big contributor after a disappointing season that was cut short by injury. Coming off a promising 2022-23, in which the center had a career-high 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games, Hayton was limited to 33 games last season, scoring 10 points (three goals, seven assists). The 24-year-old is primed for a breakout, especially if he enters the season as the No. 1 center between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
Ready to contribute
Josh Doan got an 11-game cameo at the end of the 2023-24 season, making his debut March 26 with two goals for the team for which his father was synonymous for 20 seasons. Doan, who was taken No. 37 in the 2021 NHL Draft, made the most of his short stint with five goals and four assists and looks poised to make the jump stick after he had 46 points (26 goals, 20 assists) in 62 games for Tucson of the American Hockey League last season.
Fantasy sleeper
Guenther, F (average draft position: 177.0) – Per NHL EDGE stats, Guenther was among the NHL leaders in average skating distance per 60 minutes at even strength (10.16 miles; 88th percentile) last season. His breakout stretch late in the season (23 points, 73 shots on goal in final 23 games since March 1) on the second line with mostly Logan Cooley (ADP: 166.0) could help Utah take the next step toward the playoffs and help each young forward far exceed his fantasy draft position. — Pete Jensen
PROJECTED LINEUP
Clayton Keller — Barrett Hayton — Nick Schmaltz
Lawson Crouse — Logan Cooley — Dylan Guenther
Matias Maccelli — Jack McBain — Josh Doan
Michael Carcone — Kevin Stenlund — Alex Kerfoot
Mikhail Sergachev — Sean Durzi
Juuso Valimaki — Robert Bortuzzo
Ian Cole — Michael Kesselring
Connor Ingram
Karel Vejmelka
Injured: Nick Bjugstad (upper-body), John Marino (upper-body)
