Utah makes franchise history just a short time after moving
It's been just over two weeks since the National Hockey League announced that Salt Lake City, Utah has been granted a new franchise, while the Arizona Coyotes would become inactive. It's not a traditional relocation, but essentially it is one and this weekend, the team made their first signing since the move to Utah.
According to CapFriendly, Utah has agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract worth $900,000 per season with Swedish prospect Noel Nordh. Nordh was drafted by the Coyotes in the third round, 72nd overall, in 2023.
3 year entry-level
$865k cap hit | $900k AAV
Breakdown each season:
$775k base + $90k SB + $35k GP PB
Nordh, 19, spent the majority of the 2023-24 season in HockeyAllsvenskan, which is Sweden's second highest division, with Brynas IF, where he put up 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 50 games. He also appeared in 15 games for Brynas IF's junior team, tallying 22 points (ten goals, 12 assists), four penalty minutes and was a plus-eight.
The Soderhamn native will likely return to Sweden next season if he's unable to crack Utah's opening night roster in October. He's also expected to play a big role for Sweden at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa.
Utah's National Hockey League franchise wants to be competitive out of the gate and there are rumblings they could be aggressive in the free agency market on July 1st. It's going to be interesting to see what General Manager Bill Armstrong is able to do as the franchise looks to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first year of the relocation.
| POLL | ||
Will Utah make the playoffs in their first season? | ||
| Yes | 118 | 29.4 % |
| No | 284 | 70.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
