Utah looking to make a big splash at the NHL draft

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Cooper Godin
June 17, 2024 (8:33 PM)

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Utah Hockey Club is set for their first NHL event later this month with the Entry Draft in Las Vegas, Nevada and they may be looking to make a pretty big splash.

On this weeks edition of TFP Monday Mix podcast, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that Utah Hockey Club General Manager Bill Armstrong is willing to trade the sixth overall pick in the upcoming draft.

"As we discussed, Utah is willing to trade the 6th overall pick in this month's NHL Draft." Pagnotta said in a post on X.

Right out of the gate, it appears that Utah's ownership, led by Ryan Smith of Smith Entertainment Group, has no issue with the team spending close to the cap, as it's expected Bill Armstrong will be pretty active on the free agent front.

As for being open to trading the sixth overall pick, it would take a significant offer to make Bill Armstrong to consider, but his willingness shows that he wants to be competitive next season and potentially make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their first season. If they do, they'll only be the second new franchise to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their first year since 1991, the other being Vegas in 2018.

Bill Armstrong will continue to scour the trade market and free agent market, once it opens on July 1st, as Utah looks to add to their current core featuring Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, among others. This group of Utah players have very little experience in the playoffs, aside from a few players, with 2020 being their last appearance in the big dance when they were the Arizona Coyotes. Keep an eye on Utah this summer with expectations for Year 1 very high.