Utah Hockey Club Already Headed in Right Direction

Almost exactly one year ago, the Utah Hockey Club was born from the ashes of the Arizona Coyotes, acquiring the hockey assets (players, coaches, etc.) of their predecessors despite technically being a distinct franchise.

Utah's first year in the NHL was full of excitement, but as expected, it wasn't enough to make the playoffs.

Utah was officially eliminated from playoff contention following the Minnesota Wild's 8-7 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks. Including the Coyotes' history, this is the fifth-straight year that the team will miss the playoffs, and its last appearance came in the expanded 2020 postseason due to the pandemic. The last time the team made the playoffs in a traditional year was back in 2012, when it made an unexpected run to the Western Conference Final.

The team's biggest problem this season has been one that is unfortunately out of its control: injuries. Utah has lost over 230 man-games to injury this season, with two of its better defensemen in Sean Durzi (52 games missed) and John Marino (42 games missed) being the biggest victims of the injury bug. Young forward Dylan Guenther, who has the second-most goals on the team with 26, missed 12 games shortly after the new year.

Goaltender Connor Ingram has missed extended time on two separate occasions, the second coming when he entered the NHL/NHLPA assistance program on March 9.

Additionally, Utah has struggled with consistency throughout its inaugural season. The team hasn't had a winning streak longer than four games all year, with a 6-0-1 run in December being its best stretch of the season.

Still, this remains a team with a lot of promise for the future.

Captain Clayton Keller, one of the most underrated forwards in the league, has had an excellent season with 84 points (27 goals, 57 assists) in 77 games. Guenther and Logan Cooley - 20 and 22 respectively - already look like future stars and should only continue to improve.

Utah also has $21.5 million in projected cap space for next season, as well as three second-round picks and two third-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. So, there's plenty of room to make big moves.

Finally, Utah's growing pains should be a thing of the past by next season. The team will have a permanent identity, renovations to Delta Center will continue throughout the offseason, and a permanent practice facility should be complete soon.

With an owner that actually seems to care about the team, Utah can make some noise in the not-too-distant future.