Utah inks defenseman Sean Durzi to a four-year extension
Sean Durzi.
The Utah Hockey Club has signed defenseman Sean Durzi to a four-year contract extension. The new deal will carry a $6M cap hit, per Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff, who also mentions that this term buys two years of UFA eligibility.
This move continues a busy weekend for Utah general manager Bill Armstrong, who’s already made moves to trade into the first-round and acquire both Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino. Armstrong will now solidify the top of his blue line by signing Durzi with term, just over one year after he acquired Durzi for the 2024 second-round pick used on Alfons Freij.
Durzi proceeded to have a statement year with the Arizona Coyotes, tallying a career-high 41 points in 76 games as the team’s top defenseman. He averaged nearly 23 minutes of ice time every night, serving on both special teams.
The performance continued Durzi’s rise to fame over the last three seasons. Durzi, a 2018 second-round pick, made his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings in 2021 after three modest years in the AHL. But he showed up to southern California ready to play, ultimately recording 27 points in 64 games and pulling his way up to an average of 19 minutes a night as a rookie.
He continued the growth as a sophomore, recording 38 points in 72 games while holding onto his strong role in the lineup.
Durzi’s growth didn’t slow down with a move to Arizona and the club is now betting it won’t slow in the move to Utah either. Durzi stands as Utah’s top right-defenseman and could be set for a prime role next to Sergachev, pending any summer additions.
After this extension and their pair of trades, Utah is entering the summer with $22.265M in cap space and five pending free agents, including Barrett Hayton.
That should put them in a great spot to continue their run of strong additions when free agency opens up on Monday.
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