Is the Utah Hockey Club in the playoffs after signing Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino?

Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino: Welcome to Utah.

Utah: Welcome to the playoffs.

That’s an incredibly bold statement about a team that finished with 77 points last season. But when you look at their talented and young roster, it’s clear that this group is going to make a splash in their first season in Utah. The franchise formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes seems ready to take the next step, and their two new additions on defense should really help with that.

Defense was Utah’s biggest concern heading into the offseason, with the main issue being a lack of top-tier talent. Sergachev changes that immediately, as he’s a player who has shown the potential of a No. 1 defenseman throughout his career; he’s a strong puck pusher who can generate a lot of offense from the back. He’s exactly what this team needed: a top-notch offensive driver.

That goes for Marino too: a top-four defenseman with excellent puck skills. Although Marino had a rough season on the surface in 2023-24, his work last year gives every reason to expect a rebound. That and his sparkling stats – he’s excellent at retrieving pucks, breaking pucks out, getting into the rush and defending his blue line. He’s incredibly efficient with the puck, which is a huge improvement over Janis Moser, who went the other way in the Sergachev deal.

Sergachev and Marino bring the most value when they make high-quality plays with the puck in all three zones. That’s something this franchise has lacked for years; a problem area that was solved in 20 minutes on the draft floor.

Their presence should break up an already underestimated attacking line with a lot of power on the wings.

Yes, things still look dicey up the middle, but Utah has some really strong offensive players outside the perimeter that will be tough to handle. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz are the top players there, but Utah also has a dynamic duo of Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther behind them that complement them well. Guenther, the ninth pick in 2021, has been a revelation down the stretch. There may not be a superstar among that quartet, but Utah’s top six wingers are still among the best in the league from top to bottom. Add in Josh Doan and his stellar 11-game showing, and Utah’s top nine looks packed.

The team’s ability to perform on offense will depend on how much Logan Cooley can accomplish in his second season, but he obviously has the potential to take a big step forward. He and the other centers will be well insulated with support from the wing and now a little more support in the back area as well.

With Sergachev and Marino in town, the rest of the defense fits together well. Sean Durzi and Juuso Välimäki form a solid second pair, while Michael Kesselring is good on the third pair.

While this group is still lacking defensively, Utah not only has the offensive firepower to make up for it – it also seems to have a relatively stable goaltending team that can help. Connor Ingram has been fantastic in back-to-back seasons, and if he can keep it up, the team looks pretty good between the posts.

As it is, the team looks good enough to make the playoffs – if its young players make the progress expected. The projected net rating is currently plus-20, with nine goals added through age adjustments. With that in mind, next season could be a breakthrough season for the club, which is why the signing of Sergachev and Marino makes a lot of sense. They are exactly the players who can help take a relatively inexperienced team to the playoffs.

Inexperience and a disastrous blue line contributed to the team’s downfall last year, with an abominable 7-21-3 midseason capped by a 14-game losing streak. That wiped out a lot of goodwill built by a strong start (19-14-2) and finish (10-6-0), a lesson this group can use next season to put together a full 82. The stability added by Sergachev and Marino should certainly help with the season-long consistency needed to do that.

It also helps that Utah probably isn’t done yet. The NHL’s newest team entered the offseason with the league’s best salary cap space, and while some of that was spent on the two new defensemen, it still has plenty of room to do some serious damage.

Maybe that’s a center to strengthen the middle. Maybe that’s another top-four defenseman. Either way, Utah’s situation looks extremely promising for the 2024-25 season.

The playoffs aren’t a guarantee for any team, especially one that finished with 77 points last season. But as things stand now, Utah will likely enter next season with a playoff chance of over 50 percent – a big deal for the team’s first season.

That may sound bold, but this team really has what it takes to be a problem in the West next season. After years of patient planning, Utah appears to have acquired the right players at the right time to become a playoff team. In year one, Utah is ready to reap the seeds planted in Arizona.

(Photo of Mikhail Sergachev skating in front of Nick Schmaltz: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)