June is arguably the best time to be alive as a hockey fan. Not only are fans being treated to the Stanely Cup Final, which begins on June 8, but they also have the NHL Draft. It will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, this season, at The Sphere. It’s the first time it’s been held outside the hosting city arena. With that, the anticipation grows larger each day, but for different reasons for different teams.
For example, the San Jose Sharks are likely to take Boston University center Macklin Celebrini, not quite a generational player but an elite player you can build around. However, the real buzz is around Utah, where this is the first draft in franchise history. This milestone event has all eyes on pick six and what direction they will go in, but we can’t forget about the possibility of several players being dealt on draft day. Last season there were no trades on Day 1, but already names such as Mitch Marner and more have been floated around as possible trade candidates.
Related: Utah’s Top Defense Targets at the 2024 NHL Draft
Understanding the current state of the rebuild and where Utah lies, they could be shopping a few players, including goaltender Karel Vejmelka.
Karel Vejmelka
Entering the 2023-24 season, Vejmelka was the Arizona Coyotes’ number one goaltender, having started game one against the New Jersey Devils. Throughout the season, his role seemed to get smaller and smaller; half of that is due to performance, and the other half is the uprising of Connor Ingram. Nonetheless, Vejmelka still capped off the season with average stats, a 13-19-2 record, and a .897 save percentage. It was nothing special, but he showed in parts of the season where he looked unstoppable, and in other moments, not so much.
So why would general manager Bill Armstrong trade the Czech goaltender? The first of many reasons is to add more assets. Of course, trading Vejmelka won’t net a return for a first-round pick, but he very well could fetch a second-round pick, and we all know Utah has plenty of those. So it’s more likely if they were to trade him, it would be for a player or prospect. Armstrong has many moves to make this offseason, and Vejmelka could be the first domino to fall if he is traded.
Nick Bjugstad
Next on the list is 31-year-old Nick Bjugstad, who was stellar for the Coyotes last season. In the 76 games he played, he notched 22 goals and 45 points. There’s no doubt he reignited his…
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