Utah Hockey Club Already Looking to Make Trades

It didn’t take long for the Utah Hockey Club to find success as the NHL’s newest franchise. In their first three regular season games after relocating from the Arizona Coyotes, Utah picked up a 3-0-0 record and scored 16 total goals.

As a true sleeper team in the Central Division, Utah looks to continue adding useful pieces to their roster. Even after a few solid offseason moves, Utah general manager Bill Armstrong is keeping his eye peeled for improvements.

"We're always looking and listening as we are a competitive club that wants to get better every day,” Armstrong told Responsible Gambler. "So if we can add at the right time, we certainly will.”

In an interview with rg.org, Armstrong noted that Utah is technically in the fourth year of a rebuild and still might not show great success in 2024-25. In the coming seasons, however, the expectations are going to get bigger.

“We're moving into that era where we've got good young players coming,” Armstrong said. “We've still got some picks to go, but some trades will have to be made on our side to further up the club and take that next step."

Armstrong noted you don’t totally build a Stanley Cup champion through the draft. Sure, you can find your core pieces and skilled youth through the draft, but trades are a huge part of building a winning team.

“50% of a Stanley Cup team is traded for, so you've got to go out there and make adjustments and really add into what your club needs.”

Utah should be pretty active when trade speculation and talks start to pick up. They have 10 picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts. If Utah wants to be active on the trade market, those are the assets they will look to utilize.

"We'll have to make some trades down the stretch,” Armstrong said. “That's why we acquired all the prospects and picks."

Utah has a comfortable and steady home. Without distractions and a new level of certainty, the organization can really dig in and build a successful team.