I don’t know if members of the Utah Hockey Club front office believe in Santa Claus — but if they do, they might want to get started on their Christmas wish lists. Like every other team, Utah could use a few things.
Just in case they haven’t sent their letter in on time, I’ll write one for them.
Utah Hockey Club’s letter to Santa
Dear Santa,
We’ve been really good this year. We had to move from Arizona to Utah, but we never complained. We’ve worked hard to make a difference in the community and we’re playing our best hockey.
I know we were taking lots of penalties earlier in the season, but we’ve gotten a lot better the last few weeks. We hope our early-season penalties do not result in a lump of coal.
Here’s what we want for Christmas.
First, we need a first-line center. I know you don’t make many of them, so this might be a big ask. We have an abundance of middle-six centers, but we don’t have one that can score 80-plus points per season. If you have one lying around, we would greatly appreciate it.
The next thing we need is a top defenseman who can play the right side. Again, I know there aren’t a ton of these to go around, but we have two on the injured reserve. Our request is that you get John Marino and Sean Durzi healthy again.
And while you’re at it, if you could get Maveric Lamoureux and Connor Ingram back to full health too, we would love that.
Finally, we’d like our arena renovations to be done as soon as possible. Aside from the restricted views, the Delta Center has been one of the best arenas in the world to catch a game at — and we want more people to be able to experience that.
Signed, your friends at the Utah Hockey Club.
How would this help?
Alright, now it’s time to be serious.
Utah HC could really use a top-producing center. Barrett Hayton has looked good at a lot of points this season, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to win games. Logan Cooley will probably be able to fill that role in a year or two, but for now he’s the perfect second-line center.
UHC’s chances of actually landing one isn’t great. The few that exist rarely become available, and when they do, they’re expensive. Utah would have to be sure a player like that would help them make a deep playoff push, but in reality, they’re more than just one piece away.
As for the top right-side defensemen, they will get some eventually — it’s just a matter of time. Per the team’s most recent reports, Marino could be back in mid-to-late January and Durzi is about a month behind him.
Lamoureux’s timeline could see him back in the lineup just after Christmas and there’s still no projected return frame for Connor Ingram.
Now, the big one is the arena renovations. There’s obviously nothing they can do until the season ends, but a lot of things will need to go right over the summer. Team owner Ryan Smith has said that they’ll start working as soon as the hockey and basketball seasons are over.
It seems like a tall task to get everything done before the September preseason, but remember that Smith Entertainment Group is used to working on a tight schedule. They got a lot done in not a lot of time this summer.
