Apr 14, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Utah Hockey Club center Barrett Hayton (27) skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

With Utah’s offseason just beginning, there will be time to heal, watch and learn from the current playoff teams, and game plan for the upcoming season.

Having already re-signed a significant number of players, Utah finds itself in a comfortable position: knowing who will be on its roster next season while still having the flexibility to target free agents thanks to a manageable cap situation.

But just because the team can spend the money doesn’t mean it will.

“A lot of teams that you saw that ‘won the summer’ didn’t win the winter,” Bill Armstrong said. “Once the money’s gone, it’s usually locked in for a long term and next year, we’re talking about, ‘How do we get rid of some of that money?’ So, it’s really a tricky one, where you have to very, very cautiously spend your money.”

But still, one of the major questions facing Utah this offseason is how it will construct its second line.

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One spot was consistently filled by a talented Utah player, whether it was Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, or even Logan Cooley when he returned from injury, to skate alongside the line’s anchor, Barrett Hayton, barring any injury.

Even when injuries hit, players like Alexander Kerfoot were more than ready to step in and fill the role.

But the thing about lines is that they’re made up of three players. And for Utah, that third spot on the second line never felt secured, as a revolving door of Matias Maccelli, Michael Carcone, and, most recently, Kailer Yamamoto cycled through the role.

Given that Utah already has five players to fill the first and second lines, it would make a lot of sense for Utah to target some talent in free agency to fill that sixth spot.

Both Maccelli and Carcone played over 50 games for Utah, but by the end of the season, both had taken turns as healthy scratches. Neither saw regular starting time down the stretch, with Kailer Yamamoto being elevated to the active roster for the final 11 games of the season.

With Carcone making it clear in his exit interview that he’s looking for a change of pace with a new team, Utah’s depth at the position has already begun to thin.

Utah could opt to run it back with either Maccelli or Yamamoto, especially with Yamamoto looking decent in his final stretch of games, but given the team’s cap space and financial flexibility, it makes sense to look beyond simply re-signing Yamamoto or starting Maccelli.

“A couple years ago, we needed players no matter what,” Tourigny said. “If you’re a good player, we (were) happy to have you. Now, we’re looking for specific areas of our game to be better.”

There’s also Utah’s recent push to bring over Russian prospect Danil But, a left winger, a position the team currently lacks depth in, showing Utah is looking to improve the roster this offseason. BROGAN LINK

So while Utah will probably want a new face for its second line, Utah likely won't do anything if it doesn't see it as a good fit.

After all, Utah already benefits from having a young core that continues to grow together, and Utah will keep leaning on that.

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But adding another free agent who can strengthen one of the top two lines wouldn’t just give Utah a more stable unit, it could also give Barrett Hayton another top-tier talent to join him and Nick Schmaltz, assuming Utah’s first-line trio of Cooley, Guenther, and Clayton Keller is what coach André Tourigny sticks with next season.

This also assumes Utah decides to re-sign Jack McBain, who played well on the third line with Lawson Crouse and Josh Doan toward the end of the season.

Along with McBain, this assumes that Nick Bjugstad, who found strong chemistry with Alexander Kerfoot and Kevin Stenlund, is also signed.

With both guys resigned, that would leave the second line as the primary area to address.

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And while Doan played really well alongside Crouse and McBain, he also showed some chemistry with Hayton when he temporarily moved up to the second line before being bumped back down.

While it might seem like a strange idea to move Doan, given how well he played alongside Crouse and McBain, Utah could consider shuffling its lines if Doan continues to develop his offensive game.

But for now, Utah would likely prefer to keep Doan’s puck-stealing ability and physical presence right where he is: alongside two heavy hitters in Crouse and McBain.

And who knows, Yamamoto did bring some consistency during his 11-game stretch to close the season. Depending on how he performs with the Tucson Roadrunners, Utah could choose to keep him in the lineup if no free agent options feel like the right fit.

But with free agency not opening until July 1, Utah will have plenty of time to strategize how it wants to address the spot.

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What Will Utah HC's Second Line Look Like Next Year?