SALT LAKE CITY – As the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural season approaches, there are bound to be a number of questions about this first NHL season in Salt Lake City. Perhaps the most important questions are: Can the club compete in the Central Division and does it have a chance of reaching the coveted Stanley Cup playoffs?

The short answer is yes, the team is capable of doing so. However, many things still need to happen for the team to reach the toughest tournament in hockey.

Arizona’s History, Utah’s Future

In the last 12 seasons, the Arizona Coyotes have only made the playoffs once (2020, 1-4 loss to Colorado in the first round). This led to a major reboot and in recent years the club has been in rebuilding mode, acquiring draft picks and developing young talent.

Last season, however, the team showed a lot of potential and was in the running from the start until they suffered a 14-game losing streak that ended any playoff hopes. Despite this stretch, the team looked competitive and showed good signs before losing so many games in a row.

Fast forward to a new era of hockey in the state of Utah and this team has reached its peak. They made some big trades to bring in defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino, who were drafted twice in the first round, and have a couple of young players on their roster that could make a big jump this season.

All in all, this team could surprise a lot of people around the league this year and making the playoffs is definitely possible. But there are a few things standing between them and Lord Stanley’s trip to the Beehive State.

The Central Division could be the toughest in the NHL

From top to bottom, the Central Division is perhaps the toughest in the entire league, featuring a slew of contenders such as the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks. Last season, the Stars, Jets, Avalanche and Predators all qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Looking ahead to the 2024-25 season, it will be incredibly difficult to secure a spot. Dallas may be willing to hold out until the end, Colorado is still incredibly talented and could see the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog, Nashville has signed veteran stars Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei to long-term deals and Winnipeg is looking to make amends after subpar performances.

Related: Get to know the Utah Hockey Club’s Central NHL Division

These four teams are virtually guaranteed to be playoff teams, meaning Utah will either have to far exceed expectations or be good enough to earn a wildcard spot and be the fifth team from the division to make the playoffs.

The minimum requirement to make the playoffs in the division last year was 47 wins with 99 total points. That would require 11 more wins than the Coyotes had last season, but likely more as Nashville has only improved.

Not impossible, but certainly very difficult. The good news is that hockey is a crazy sport full of surprises and that sometimes the puck just bounces so far in your direction that the impossible becomes possible.

New faces, new chemistry

With this further positive step in the rebuilding process, the team now looks a little different than it did last season.

The signing of Sergachev and Marino was great and should raise the performance ceiling of this team. But what does that look like? Is that five more wins? Is it ten? And how quickly will these players fit into the system? Scoring goals has not been a problem for this team, but preventing goals has. Are these two enough to secure the defensive zone more consistently?

And how healthy will Sergachev be this season? Last year he only played 34 games due to a fracture of his left tibia and fibula that required surgery. Can he last 65+ games?

Sometimes the puck just has to bounce in the right direction, which means staying healthy and the team working well together. When those two things happen, Utah has the best chance of a playoff spot.

Utah’s young talents need to take a leap

One of the few bright spots for this team last season was the emergence of so many promising young players.

Logan Cooley looked like a future All-Star, Dylan Guenther may have much higher potential than expected, Matias Maccelli was a master at finding his teammates, Barrett Hayton may have finally lived up to expectations, and Josh Doan showed glimpses of his true greatness in his short time with the team.

If the Utah Hockey Club wants to make the playoffs, each of these players will have to be better than the last. Cooley and Guenther will have to work together to score more than 50 points each, Maccelli will have to prove that his 40 assists weren’t a fluke, Hayton will have to continue to improve, and if Doan comes into the team, he will have to prove that those 9 points in 11 games weren’t just situational.

If these young players make great strides, Utah will be very competitive every night and perhaps secure one of the last playoff spots.

Expect the Utah Hockey Club to be competitive

Fans can absolutely expect Utah to be competitive, but it will need a near-perfect season to make the playoffs. Remember, this team was on a reboot four years ago and it generally takes five to seven years to get back into the playoffs and more than seven years to be considered a contender.

Related: What to expect from the Utah Hockey Club in its first season

Rest assured, this team is on the right track and has the potential to surprise some people. But don’t be disappointed or shocked if they just aren’t quite ready yet.

Utah Hockey Schedule

Fans can watch the Utah Hockey Club’s first game on October 8th against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Click here for the full schedule.

Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Stay up to date here on X. You can hear Cole’s analysis of the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.

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