First off, wow. Utah Hockey Club fans really came through with mailbag questions this time around. If you participated, give yourself a pat on the back. There wasn’t a single bad question.
I won’t be able to address everything in one article, so I’ll break it into two parts. If I don’t get to your question in either article, I sincerely apologize.
Here we go.
Starting lineup
“Beeflock” asked why hockey teams don’t always start the same players.
A shift in hockey usually lasts between 45 seconds and a minute, as opposed to a lot of other sports wherein stars might play the majority of an entire game.
For that reason, it doesn’t really matter who starts in hockey because they’ll sub out within a minute anyway.
Coaches usually decide whom to start for two reasons: to set the pace and to match lines. For example, UHC coach Andre Tourigny often starts Lawson Crouse’s line because those guys play high-octane hockey, so starting them sets the tone for the rest of the team to follow.
When it comes to matching lines, the home team always gets the “last change,” meaning they get to see which players the other team is using before deploying players of his own.
The opening face-off is no exception: The visiting team submits its starting lineup, which the home team gets to see, and they strategically play the guys that would fit best against those players.
The only player in hockey that typically plays the full game is the goaltender. Most teams have one goalie they rely upon more than the other, so he typically plays the bigger games, leaving the easier competition for the backup goalie.
Free agency
A few people asked what they should expect of the team in the offseason. “The Ambassador,” for example, wants to know which free agents Utah will target.
Similarly, “Spider Gorilla” asked about offer sheets.
Here’s what I know: Utah HC is projected to have more than $21 million in cap space this summer. They’ve already extended the majority of their would-be free agents, and with the exception of Jack McBain, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the rest find new homes next season.
That means they have money to spend. Given how willing Ryan Smith is to put an exciting team on the ice, it’s not likely that he gives the front office any additional budget restrictions.
Does that mean general manager Bill Armstrong will spend all the way to the cap? Not necessarily. He has said on a few occasions that he doesn’t want to commit to long-term deals right now if they’ll hurt the team in the future.
The big-dollar contracts in the NHL are almost always long-term.
I anticipate that Armstrong’s strategy will be similar to last summer in the sense that he’ll fill holes by signing veterans to team-friendly deals.
It doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t go after the Mitch Marners and the Aaron Ekblads of the world, but don’t expect him to construct an all-star roster overnight.
As far as offer sheets go, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Utah tried something. Armstrong tells us all the time that his job is to wake up every morning and try to make the team better in any way he can.
He wouldn’t be giving it his best effort if he didn’t at least consider signing offer sheets. He also spent many years working with St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong, who famously signed two offer sheets last summer and landed both players.
Utah currently owns all of its picks in the 2026, 2027 and 2028 drafts, which is significant because the compensation given for a successful offer sheet must be paid with the team’s own picks in the next draft year (or the next several years if more than one pick of the same round is required).
Utah HC also has the luxury of extra picks in the 2026 draft, meaning they could give up a few and still be able to draft a full set of players.
Utah Hockey Club prospects
Darel Boyer wants to know if the defense corps will be strong enough if prospects Maveric Lamoureux and Dmitry Simashev become full-time NHLers next season.
As much as I’d love to say yes, it’s rare for a defenseman to be fully NHL-ready at such a young age (Lamoureux is only 21 and Simashev is just 20).
They will both likely spend time in the AHL next season (assuming Simashev comes to North America), at which point they’ll have chances to prove themselves for NHL roster spots.
The fact that Armstrong extended both Ian Cole and Olli Määttä is probably a good indication that he doesn’t expect any rookie defensemen to fill full-time roles in the NHL next season.
Similarly, “Kevin L” asks when we’ll know whether Simashev and his teammate, fellow Utah prospect Daniil But, are coming to North America next season.
As Kevin probably already knows, Simashev said in January that he has made his decision on where he’ll play next year, though he didn’t wish to share it yet.
But hasn’t made any indication of a decision as far as I’m aware.
Both guys play for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in the KHL. It’s uncommon for young players to get much ice time in that league because of the understanding that they’ll likely leave for the NHL.
Despite that, both Simashev and But played the majority of the games this season. But also set career highs in goals, assists and points.
Lokomotiv got swept in the Gagarin Cup final last year, so they’ll look to make up for it this year — and they’re on the right track, having swept their first-round series against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.
Another X user, Aiden Johnson, wants to know when Tij Iginla will make his NHL debut. Iginla had season-ending hip surgery in December, which will likely shift his development timeline.
Don’t be surprised if he plays another year in the WHL before turning pro.
Clayton Keller questions
I received two questions regarding Clayton Keller’s tendencies. He was kind enough to answer both.
“Utah Yeti” asks why Keller tucks his jersey into his pants. Here’s what he said:
“It’s something that my dad told me to do every single time as a kid, because I was smaller and the jersey made me look so small. ... It’s something that I’ve always done.”
You know who else wore No. 9 and tucked his jersey? A guy by the name of Wayne Gretzky (though he eventually switched to 99).
“No-Stamp” wants to know what Keller puts on his French toast, which Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune reported he eats every morning.
“Just syrup — simple," he said. He also mentioned that he usually has fruit on the side.
Oh, and he said he’s not a big egg guy — even when they come from Mikhail Sergachev’s chickens.