With free agency around the corner, it is time to look at who Utah could be interested in on July 1.
Now that Smith Entertainment Group has made the purchase of the ream official and released their first-year jersey concepts, it is time to look at who they could be interested in free agency.
This year's free-agent class is considered one of the best in the last decade. Aside from goaltending, there are a lot of options on the back end and up front.
Utah wants to be aggressive this off-season to try and be competitive in their inaugural season in the NHL, and they have the opportunity to change how teams go about their business this year.
With $43 million in available cap space, Utah can sign some big-name players. They do have some RFA's to re-sign like Sean Durzi, but they can still be players in a few big fish that hit the open market, especially the forwards.
Top Free Agent Targets:
- Sam Reinhart
- Steven Stamkos
- Jake Guentzel
- Elias Lindholm
While it won't be possible for Utah to sign all of these players, their pro scouts will need to examine who the best target is for their team. They will also need to keep in mind that they need some help on the back end, which will limit what they can do up
However, Lindholm and Reinhart would seem possible based on the asking price. Lindholm will likely seek $7 million for 7 years, and Reinhart could be asking for around $8.5–10 million for 7 years. Together, that would cost Utah anywhere from $15–17 million, which would bring their available cap space down to $26 million.
Adding Lindholm and Reinhart to a lineup that includes Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, and Josh Doan, as well as some top-end prospects, would allow Utah to be competitive offensively for the next number of seasons.
After signing those two, they need to focus on defence and building a championship-calibre blue line.