Utah Hockey Club Fuels Trade Rumors by Continuing to Bench Top Forward

PUBLICATION

TJ Tucker
October 31, 2024 (12:02)

SHARE THIS STORY

One of the top forwards with Utah Hockey Club hasn't played in weeks and one insider says the situation is getting urgent as it appears the team is ready to deal him

Michael Carcone had a breakout season with the Arizona Coyotes last season, hitting the 20 goal mark for the first time in his career. The undrafted forward, now 28, joined the rest of his Coyotes teammates in the move to Salt Lake City as Arizona became the Utah Hockey Club. However, according to one insider, he's not likely to be there much longer.

While he scored Utah Hockey Club's first preseason goal in franchise history, Michael Carcone has played just three games with the team so far in the 2024-25 regular season, sitting out the rest as a healthy scratch. In those three games, Carcone had no goals or points, and was a minus-2. In his latest 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said the situation seems to be getting urgent.

"Another update from last week: Utah's Michael Carcone hasn't played since Oct. 16, and that one's growing some urgency to it."

Utah clearly isn't afraid to make changes, picking up defenceman Olli Maatta in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings earlier this week. There was also some talk that Utah HC was also involved in talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs about acquiring defenceman Timothy Liljegren, but he ended up being dealt to the San Jose Sharks. Michael Carcone could add some scoring depth to a team looking to add to their lineup, but his lack of ice-time isn't really beneficial to him or Utah
when it comes to trade interest.

Michael Carcone spent a lot of time in the AHL before finally getting his chance in the big league. His breakout season in 2023-24 cemented him as a solid second or third line forward. Watch for his name to continue to be involved in trade speculation as he continues to be a healthy scratch.