Utah exploring extension or trade with former first-round pick

The Utah Hockey Club is reportedly exploring the possibility of either an extension or a trade of defenseman Victor Soderstrom, Craig Morgan of Go PHNX Sports reports. Soderstrom is Utah’s only remaining restricted free agent.

The 2019 11th-overall pick failed to earn a consistent NHL role on his entry-level deal. He’s instead muddled between the NHL and AHL, with his playing time becoming somewhat of a spectacle for Coyotes fans. Soderstrom has spent plenty of time with the NHL roster since his debut in 2021, though routine healthy scratches have limited him to just 53 games. He’s done little with the chances, netting just one goal – scored in his third career game – and 10 assists at the NHL level. 

He similarly struggled to score in the AHL early in his career, with just 50 points through three seasons and 108 games in the minor leagues. Soderstrom started to buck that trend this year, though, playing through his first full season spent in one spot since 2019-20. He posted nine goals and 32 points in 62 games with the Tuscon Roadrunners – career-highs in every category.

It was a promising year for the 23-year-old defender, even if his stat line didn’t jump off the page. Still, fans got a strong glimpse of what Soderstrom offers at a top level. He showed a strong ability to champion transition up the ice, with heads-up passing and strong positioning, helped along by an improving ability to close down opponents as they enter the attacking zone. While not high-scoring, Soderstrom showed he could bring those positives on a nightly basis, underlined by added confidence in stepping into space in the offensive end.

Soderstrom showed glimpses of a former blue-chip prospect this season, though he still seems far from vindicating his top-15 draft selection. There’s reasons to hold onto hope, though, as he showed distinct improvement under a consistent role. 

Matching that at the NHL level could pay dividends – and Utah has an open spot on its second-pairing that Soderstrom could push for. But he’ll face distinct competition form Michael Kesselring, Juuso Valimaki, and top prospect Maveric Lamoureux for the role – having already lost a fight for minutes with the former two last season.

That competition is enough to have Utah gauging what Soderstrom may garner on the open market. It’s hard to think many teams would be quick to pay up for a former top prospect yet to vindicate his draft capital – nor is Utah likely too eager to make a move that won’t favor it with a signing still a possibility. This has all of the makings of trade winds bound to drag on for a while, but with an attractive offer, a new team could land the talents of a former top pick with plenty of room to grow next season.