Utah’s John Marino not expected to return to the lineup for months

Utah HC will be shorthanded on their blueline for quite some time, as head coach Andre Tourigny announced on Friday, defenseman John Marino is still months away from action.

Marino, 27, was acquired from the New Jersey Devils this past offseason, and due to an upper-body injury, has yet to dress in Utah. Last season in New Jersey, the right-handed blueliner recorded 25 points in 75 games. Marino was acquired from the Devils, along with a 2025 fifth-round pick, in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, and 2025 second-round pick, via the Edmonton Oilers.

The North Easton, MA native was originally a 2015 sixth-round pick, 154th overall by the Oilers. Marino was eventually traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and made his NHL debut during the 2019-20 season, after three seasons at Harvard University.

With the Penguins, Marino played parts of three seasons, enjoying the most success during his breakout rookie year, when he scored six goals, and recorded 26 points in 56 games. He was then traded by the Penguins to the Devils, during the 2022 offseason, in a deal in which the Penguins received defenseman Ty Smith and a 2023 third-round pick.

Marino is owed $4.4 million against the cap this season, and is signed through the 2026-27 season. It’s been a flurry of unfortunate injury troubles in Utah of late. The news of Marino’s status, comes just one day after Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported on Amazon Prime Thursday Night Hockey, that defenseman Sean Durzi will undergo surgery, and is expected to be out for 4 to 5 months. Durzi was injured last weekend against the Devils following an awkward hit from Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.

Utah will continue to lean heavily on veteran Mikhail Sergachev, who after five games, is averaging 26:47 of ice-time per game. Utah owns a 3-1-1 record, through the first five games of their inaugural season, and host the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.