The New Jersey blue-liner became the second Utah defenceman added via draft-day trade Saturday.
The Utah Hockey Club continued its aggressive play Saturday with another trade in the 2nd round of the Upper Deck NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The club traded for defenceman John Marino from the New Jersey Devils for their own second-round selection (no. 49) and Edmonton's 2025 second-round selection (previously acquired) for the Devils' 5th-round selection (no. 153).
Thrust into a top-four role almost immediately due to injuries, the 6-foot-1, 181-pound defenceman from Massachusetts made a huge impact with 26 points in his rookie year.
Marino scored 25-plus points, mostly assists, in three of his five years in the league, and is a physical presence on the blue line, averaging 0.88 hits per game during his career.
It will now be interesting to see if Utah will enter the race for Brett Pesce, who Chris Johnston reports the Devils are now front-runners for following the trade.