Utah has a chance to rebuild their defensive core in their first offseason to make the team more competitive
It has been talked about at least a thousand times since Utah owners Ryan and Ashley Smith took over the team that they want to be aggressive this offseason.
One area that desperately needs to be addressed is their defense core. Last season under the Arizona Coyotes, the team's defense core struggled a lot. Going into this offseason, the team has no defenseman signed to a contract next season.
Currently, they have three RFAs: Sean Durzi, J.J. Moser, and Juuse Välimäki. Josh Brown should be the one UFA that the team should re-sign as the seventh defenseman. Outside of that, there is a real opportunity for the team to go out and sign a few bigger names on the open market.
A few names that could be attractive to them are:
- Matt Roy
- Shayne Gostisbehere
- Erik Gustafsson
These three players are likely names on Utah's list of players that they are interested in.
Matt Roy has to be at the top of that list; he is a right-handed defenseman who can log big minutes and be the backbone of their blue line. He has the potential to be a horse in Utah. Meaning that he has big shoulders and is the player on whom the team depends on the back end.
Erik Gustafsson is another name that will generate a lot of interest. He has had a great year with the New York Rangers and could be a Stanley Cup winner this season. He is extremely offensive-minded and can easily run their power play, alongside Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley.
Lastly, Shayne Gostisbehere would be returning to a familiar team but a brand new team. He played alongside most of the roster when he played with the Coyotes, and now he may be open to returning to join Utah. Like Gustafsson, he can run the top power play like he did with the Detroit Red Wings during parts of last season. But most importantly, the familiarity with the group and himself, on top of it being a new place and new attractions, could have Utah atop his list.
2024-25 Defence Core:
Durzi - Roy
Gustafsson - Gostisbehere
Välimäki - Moser
Extra: Brown