Utah Hockey Club mailbag: free agency, goaltending future, injuries

Trade candidates and are we buyers or sellers at the deadline?

Utah general manager Bill Armstrong has said the buyer or seller label will be up to the players — essentially meaning, if the team puts itself in playoff position with a real chance to make a push this season, pieces could be added.

As it stands during the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Utah is six points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with 57 points through 56 games. The Club is closely trailing the Calgary Flames who are three points out of the playoff picture. It is a tight race and I do not think fans should be surprised or disappointed if Utah missed the cut — that is normal for a team in the fourth year of a rebuild.

What should be seen as a positive, though, is that Utah is in the mix this late in the season. Every game played from here on out has high stakes because every point matters. Those meaningful matchups — while they may not lead to a playoff berth — are important developmental steps, too.

I also do not think the term “sellers” means the team is regressing. Utah could set up a couple of trades that could help strengthen them for next season or get a return for some current Club players who are on expiring contracts — namely, Alex Kerfoot, Nick Bjugstad, Ian Cole, Olli Määttä and Karel Vejmelka.

If Armstrong knows he does not want to re-sign one of those players — who, notably, would be strong veteran depth pieces to any contending postseason team — he could look to make a trade before the deadline so the unrestricted free agents don’t just walk come summertime. This scenario will likely only happen if Utah is clearly outside of the playoff picture in the next two weeks as the NHL trade deadline is March 7 at 3 p.m. ET.

Any chance you’d be willing to do an anonymous/informal player poll on team name preference?

We have tried! I, and other reporters, have asked the players and coaches about their preference for the team name and no one has given an answer. I imagine they were asked not to promote a specific choice to avoid swaying public opinion. Maybe once the final name is announced, they’ll be able to reveal what they voted for. That being said, both players and coaches have expressed they’re excited to represent the team identity that their fans choose and appreciate them being part of the process.

When will a full selection of jerseys with names be on the team store website?

Per Smith Entertainment Group, player jerseys are expected to be available online in the next couple of weeks. Unclear if that includes the whole roster. I would guess not. But, when said stock is made available, people can order customized jerseys with any player’s name online.

Was there a Beanpot bet between Keller and McBain?

In the week leading up to the Beanpot final between Jack McBain’s Boston College and Clayton Keller’s Boston University, there was some chatter about putting something on the line but nothing official yet.

McBain said he would like to “take a little bit of cash” off Keller if the Eagles won instead of making him wear a Boston College jersey as punishment. However, Keller was on the winning side of things as Boston University secured the Beanpot 4-1 on Feb. 10.

We will see when the team is back practicing and playing if anything was settled bet-wise.

Do you think any of the 4 Nations tournament rules (like 3x3 extended OT or their points system) would work well for the NHL regular season?

Yes, I do. Specifically the 3-on-3, 10-minute overtime instead of the NHL’s standard five-minute, 3-on-3 extra period.

I have always been of the thinking that games should be decided in overtime if not regulation. While the shootouts are undoubtedly fun to watch because of the individual skill from goal-scorers and clutch stops from goaltenders, I never liked one player deciding the outcome of a game after playing 60-plus minutes as a team.

Extending the NHL’s 3-on-3 overtime to 10 minutes would likely eliminate a good amount of shootouts — what’s more, it’s a high-flying form of hockey to watch with all the space out there. Utah fans have gotten their fair share of overtimes this season and, while nerve-racking, it has displayed some of the team’s greatest moments this year. Heroes — hello, Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev — are born with game-winning shots and viewers are further pulled into the sport.

It is hard to say if the league would ever change the regular-season rules, but the eyes and attention the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament has garnered from NHL fans and new viewership alike has to make them think how they can carry over the momentum.

Until I listened to your podcast, I didn’t realize Veggie is a free agent after this season. Do you think he’s in our long-term plans? Any thoughts from team management? Are there any other goalies that we could potentially bring in if not?

Vejmelka has made a good case for himself this season — specifically by proving he can handle the workload of a nightly starter when Connor Ingram was away. Team management has not revealed its future goaltending plans, but one has to imagine Vejmelka is top of conversation.

The 28-year-old netminder signed a three-year, $8.175 million contract extension in March 2022 and has split, if not lost, the net to Ingram throughout his time with the organization. But, when Ingram was out for nearly two months, Vejmelka stepped up and kick-started arguably Utah’s best stretch of hockey from mid-November through the first three weeks of December.

Through 34 games, Vejmelka has posted a 2.57 goals against average and .909 save percentage. Interestingly, those numbers have taken somewhat of a hit since Ingram returned. Vejmelka has said he prefers to play every game — it helps him mentally and physically feel his best. However, Utah is now using a goaltender rotation, putting Vejmelka and Ingram in every other game. While it has some rest benefits, it has evidently prevented the goaltenders from finding consistency.

Ingram has one more year on his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent come 2026-27. Sure, management gets to decide if it wants Vejmelka, but Vejmelka gets to decide if he wants to be in Utah, too. Would he want to split another season with Ingram or would he want to shop the market for a starting position — which he could likely land?

As for other goaltenders Utah already has in the system, 2023 second-round draft pick Michael Hrabal is currently in his sophomore season at UMass Amherst. He has posted strong numbers in the latter half of his second NCAA campaign and is a player the Club has a lot of stock in as he’s 6-foot-7 but still agile and has high compete.

Hrabal probably will not make the jump to sign his entry-level contract until after his junior year at UMass, and even then, he may spend some time in the AHL before he’s NHL ready — development for goaltenders is different, and sometimes, longer. So, yes, Utah has netminders in its prospect pool, but it will need an experienced, steadfast starter through the next few seasons if it wants to take a turn in the rebuild. Vejmelka could be that guy if both parties can agree.

Traditions run deep, are there notable differences between the newer Western teams vs the established Eastern teams? Utah ranks among players' favorite destinations, what are your favorite stops and why?

There is definitely a discrepancy in the tradition and history between Utah and some of the more established Eastern Conference teams — especially the Original Six group, of course. But that is expected and it is something that will only come in time.

Most teams have beloved players’ numbers hung in the rafters, historic playoff series to look back on and a solid identity that connects to the players and community. You can already see those things growing in Salt Lake City — the fans care a tremendous amount and have already started creating in-game chants, rituals, choosing favorite players, everything of the sort.

I believe that will continue to expand as Utah eventually makes the playoffs, wins a series, forms rivals and, perhaps most importantly, gets a team name. Having a specific brand to rally around will help the Club and its fans establish themselves and what it means to play Utah hockey in the league.

As for my own favorite destinations, I was just in Columbus, Ohio, for Utah’s matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets — in which Guenther scored his second consecutive game-winner in overtime — and I absolutely loved it. The downtown by the arena was lively and full of great restaurants, shops and sports bars. I stopped by North Market, which had essentially every food you could think of as well as Winans (for an iced mocha) before the game. Another bonus: Everyone was extremely kind.

Any ideas on what The Club’s plans are regarding the Tucson Roadrunners? Once their contract runs out are they sticking with Tucson or do you see them bringing in a new AHL team that is closer to SLC. I know the Tucson Roadrunners might move to NV.

There has been no public discussion of Smith Entertainment Group acquiring the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. At the beginning of the season, Armstrong said the two teams had a strong working relationship and the travel factor was not an issue with direct flights from Tucson to Salt Lake City.

However, with how things ended in Arizona with previous Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo — who also owns the Roadrunners — you have to imagine there’s an internal desire to eventually completely separate.

A report from Sportico this summer said Meruelo has plans to move the Roadrunners to Reno, Nevada, after the Arizona State Land Commission canceled the auction for the land that Meruelo wanted to build a $3 billion arena for hockey in Phoenix. The Roadrunners are currently in the eighth year of their 10-year lease at Tucson Arena.

From what we’ve seen, it seems the connection between the Roadrunners and Utah Hockey Club has worked well this season at least at a players and coaching level — they’re all, theoretically, the same group with the same goals in that respect. As for how ownership feels, that has yet to be fully known.

When is Cooley returning? Thoughts on a Cooley, Guenther line? Who’d be the 3rd?

Logan Cooley skated in a non-contact jersey during Tuesday’s practice and head coach André Tourigny said the forward is day to day.

Cooley was ruled out “indefinitely” on Jan. 31 after suffering a lower-body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers at Delta Center. It was not described as a year-ending injury — Utah has 26 games left (and around two months) left in the regular season. We will have updates on Cooley’s progression when the team returns to practice on Tuesday.

Another question regarding Cooley was putting him back on a line with Guenther once both forwards are healthy. While Guenther was out with his lower-body injury, Cooley moved to center the first line between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. And he was productive. Before getting sidelined, Cooley was second on the team in points with 43 (15 goals, 28 assists) and 10 points in the month of January; Alex Kerfoot is now in that spot.

Tourigny could choose to keep Cooley on the first line when he returns, especially because Barrett Hayton — who previously centered that line — has been playing well with his new trio of Guenther and Michael Carcone.

If Cooley and Guenther were to be put back together, Jack McBain could be a likely third just because that group played together the first half of the season and had real success. McBain has a heavier, physical game that opens up space for Cooley and Guenther. He’s also strong in front of the net with tips and screens. However, that would pull McBain from playing center — which he is right now between Lawson Crouse and Josh Doan — and he would be put on the left wing with Cooley in the middle and Guenther on the right.

The Utah forwards have proven they can play with anyone in the lineup, so it will be a coach’s decision at the end of the day.

The announcers say Vejmelka with a silent J, but when he announces himself on the radio, it is a hard J. Which one is correct?

The audio pronunciation guide that the team provides — and includes recordings of the players saying their own names — has Vejmelka pronounce it with a hard J. However, he has also introduced himself with a silent J. The official NHL pronunciation guide, which is available for all media and is what broadcasters/television goes off of, has it listed as “veh-MEHL-kah,” which suggests a silent J and is what people have stuck with.

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