2 Players Utah HC Could Trade to Upgrade Roster

Maatta may only last until the end of the season, and he will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA). We all know that there will be too many defensemen on the roster after Sean Durzi and John Marino return. Apparently, for now, the rumors, per hockey insider Pierre LeBrun of going after defenseman Ivan Provorov, have been put on the back burner. That doesn’t mean Armstrong won’t be hitting the phones between now and the trade deadline to see who he can add to his team.

Tough Guy Liam O’Brien May Be Moved

O’Brien is another player who has seen very little ice time for no apparent reason. It could be because he takes too many penalties, as proven by his league-leading 153 minutes in the penalty box last season. The entire team was penalized 944 minutes, so O’Brien was assessed 16.2 percent of the team total. Were some of Big Tuna’s penalties hurtful to the team’s success? Probably. He indeed can be distinguished as the team’s protector, but he also took way too many unnecessary trips to the penalty box causing a short-handed situation.

O’Brien seems a fan favorite since the team was initially introduced to fans after Utah was awarded an NHL franchise. That doesn’t mean head coach Andre Tourigny should play him if he causes too many power plays for the opposing team. There is less and less demand for players whose primary role is to fight. And O’Brien does mix it up regularly.

The attraction he may hold for another NHL club would be his low salary. He signed a three-year pact on June 26, 2024, with an average annual value (AAV) of $1 million. Sitting in the press box and not playing indicates his value to the team has deteriorated.

The other factor may be that the Utah club has enough other players to mix it up and be an offensive contributor more than O’Brien. Lawson Crouse and Jack McBain can surely stick up for teammates without detracting from their offense.

Trading Carcone May Be Best Solution

Carcone was a goal scorer last season, netting 21 tallies in 74 games. He could be an addition to a team’s offensive statistics if traded. He has a low $775,000 cap hit and will be a UFA after this season. As the trade deadline approaches, teams may seek help scoring goals. As of this writing, four NHL teams have scored fewer than 2.5 goals a game. They include the Edmonton Oilers (2.45), Nashville Predators (2.40), New York Islanders (2.27), and Anaheim Ducks (2.20).

Of course, the season is still young, and things will, more than likely, change. Carcone was a more than productive American Hockey League (AHL) player, contributing 75 goals and 55 assists in 113 Tucson Roadrunner contests. He more than deserved to be promoted to the Coyotes last season and performed above expectations. This season, thus far, it is difficult to determine how well he’s played… since he’s played only three games.

That brings us to why he has been a healthy scratch this season. Teams will hold onto assets for future deals that can be made. The reason Carcone was only given a one-year deal could be that the team is using him as trade bait to improve their roster in the future. His low salary expectations can be an attractive reason other teams may look into trading for him.

If Armstrong can work a trade involving Carcone and some draft picks, it could help the new Utah team acquire an additional defenseman. They are hurting severely, having lost both top-four defensemen Durzi and Marino simultaneously.

Maatta Addition Has Already Helped

In his first game with Utah, Maatta showed he will be a much-needed stopgap on defense. He is a 12-year veteran with nearly 700 games played. He showed that in his first game in Utah by confidently bringing the puck out of his zone and playing for over 20 minutes.

He won’t be the long-term solution, but he will stop the bleeding on the blue line for now. Injuries show every NHL team how strong their bench is and how many young players they may use in their minor league system. That is precisely how Maveric Lamoureaux got his shot at playing in the NHL. Then, he scored his first NHL goal against the Calgary Flames to further his value to the team.

We must be patient to see what Armstrong has in the works to help his team get through these severe injuries.