With $43 million in cap space, stable ownership, and a concrete arena for the future, what kind of an X-factor can Utah be in free agency and the draft?
The screws have tightened even more for owner Ryan Smith and general manager Bill Armstrong as the Utah NHL team sets up shop for their inaugural season in October.
ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, in his column (plus subscription required) Wednesday, said Utah "could be an X-factor" this off-season, according to many inside the NHL.
How can they not be? With a large amount of draft and trade capital, plus $43 million in cap space, there's no reason they could.
The free agency market is rife with play-making defencemen like Brent Pesce and Brandon Montour, while two Vegas bottom-six aces in William Carrier and Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault are up for grabs.
Oh, and did we mention Steven Stamkos and Mitch Marner are on the market, too?
But here's the reality, and it's what Armstrong has said over and over: There will be no quick fixes.
Players like Montour, Marchessault, and Stamkos will likely demand big contracts, short- or long-term.
Acquiring Marner's contract via trade, a six-year, $65 million extension signed in 2019 by Toronto, carries a cap hit of close to $11 million. Yikes.
Amid all that, here's my solution.
Utah must zero in on a short-term upgrade on defence (preferably a two-way player who can also quarterback the power play), and add one long-term upgrade in the bottom six.
That seems like they can bring in Carrier and Montour -- which is entirely possible.
Pairing those veteran voices up with people like Lawson Crouse, Clayton Keller, and Logan Cooley would be crucial to their development.
You add in the draft core, and now we might be getting somewhere.
So maybe Utah can take a big swing after all -- and maybe it won't miss after so many years of trying in Arizona.