The Carolina blue-liner's contract is up, meaning teams will put a bulls-eye on him this off-season.
Many of us forget the NHL Draft will be quickly followed by free agency.
And while Chris and Bill Armstrong have much to do in the weeks ahead, the responsibilities of signing pieces that fit into their rebuild puzzle will be crucial.
One of those pieces could end up being defenceman Brady Skjei, whose 6-year, $31.5 million extension originally signed with the New York Rangers in 2018 is up this off-season.
Skjei was traded to Carolina in 2020 for a first-round pick as a salary dump move by former Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton, who would later select Alexis Lafreniere later that August with the no. 1 overall pick in the draft.
In the last three seasons, Skjei has accumulated 84 assists in the regular season, scoring a career-high 18 goals in 2022-23.
He also added a career-high eight assists in just 11 playoff games this past year for Carolina, who saw their season end at the hands of the New York Rangers for the second time in three playoff appearances.
Selected no. 28 in the 2012 NHL Draft, Skjei had 39 points his rookie season with the Rangers in 2016-17, earning All-Rookie Team honors.
He later equaled that total of 39 points in 2021-22, helping lead the Hurricanes to within a game of returning to the Eastern Conference Final.
Skjei would be a nice addition to the blue line for Utah, especially given his physical presence, but it will be interesting to see what his price tag demands.