Utah acquired its second big defensive piece of the day Saturday by grabbing John Marino and a 2024 5th Round Pick from New Jersey for a 2024 2nd Round Pick and a 2025 2nd Round Pick. The 27-year-old Marino completed his fifth NHL season in 2023-24 and had four goals, 25 points, 41 PIMs and 57 SOG in 75 games played.
Utah surprised the hockey world on Saturday morning as it acquired highly coveted defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay for JJ Moser, Conor Geekie, a 2024 2nd Round Pick and a 2024 7th Round Pick. The 26-year-old defenseman will join his third NHL team in his eight-year career and had two goals and 19 points in 34 games in 2023-24. He is one season removed from a 10-goal, 64-point campaign in 2022-23.
Kesselring broke out in 2023-24 with five goals and 21 points in 65 games played and has earned himself a two-year, $2.8 million contract extension with the Utah Hockey Club. The 24-year-old is in his 2nd NHL season and has 74 NHL games under his belt to go with his 24 career points.
Crowd favourite Liam "Spicy Tuna" O'Brien will be returning to Utah after the team announced on Wednesday that they have signed him to a three-year, $3 million contract extension ($1,000,000 AAV). The 29-year-old bruising forward completed his third straight 100+ PIM season in 2023-24 and had five goals, 14 points, 72 SOG and 153 PIMs in 75 games played.
McCartney was drafted in the seventh round in 2020 and has appeared in just two career NHL games since. The 22-year-old winger spent the entire 2024 season in the AHL, where he scored six goals with 16 assists (22 points) in 46 games with the Tucson Roadrunners.
Koch signed with the Coyotes last June after an eight-year career overseas, playing in Czechia, and Slovakia. The 27-year-old defenseman appeared in one NHL game during the 2024 season, but racked up 15 points (1G / 14A) in 63 AHL games. He figures to start the 2025 season in the AHL.
Desimone was claimed off waivers by the Devils in January and had two points (1G / 1A) in 11 NHL games with the Devils. Prior to being waived, he had five points (1G / 4A) in 23 games with the Flames. Expect Desimone to be a sixth or seventh defenseman for the Devils in 2024-25.
Utah solidified their goaltending depth on Wednesday as they signed goaltender Matt Villalta to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The 25-year-old spent the majority of his 2023-24 with Tucson (AHL) but made his NHL debut for two games with Arizona, going 0-1-0 with a 4.17 GAA and .828 SV%.
Sergachev has been out since February 7th due to a lower-body injury and has unfortunately been ruled out for the remainder of the first round. The 25-year-old appeared in only 34 games this season and had two goals, 19 points, 53 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -16 plus/minus.
Sergachev was initially ruled out for all of Round 1, but participating in full on Saturday suggests that he's getting close to returning to the Lightning lineup. At this point, consider him questionable to play in Game 1 on Sunday.
Yamamoto will sit out the Kraken's regular season finale on Thursday in order to make way for the return of Eeli Tolvanen (undisclosed). Yamamoto finishes his 2023-24 season with eight goals and eight assists in 59 games.
Noah Juulsen will draw into the lineup for the Canucks on Thursday, allowing Cole to have the night off in their final game before the playoffs. Cole ends the 2023-24 campaign with 11 points (2G / 9A) and 166 blocks in 78 games.
Arizona will go against their usual goaltending patterns on Wednesday as they are going back to Connor Ingram for a second-straight start for their final game of the season vs. Edmonton. The 27-year-old has appeared in a career-high 47 games this season and has a solid 22-21-3 record, 2.93 GAA, .906 SV% and league-leading six shutouts. He'll host the Edmonton Oilers for the final game at Mullett Arena and in Arizona before the Franchise departs for Salt Lake City.
Raty was the fifth-round pick of the Coyotes in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to play an NHL game and has collected 43 points (14G / 29A) in 43 games with the Tuscon Roadrunners (AHL).
The Coyotes will continue their goalie rotation and turn to Vejmelka in the crease on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Coyotes have won three of their last four (3-1-0), but Vejmelka has allowed four or more goals in his last three starts (1-2-0), including five on 25 shots (.800 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-0 blowout loss to the Seattle Kraken. Arizona enters action a +251 road underdog.
