Bill Armstrong knew he had a good hand in Vegas.
The Utah Hockey Club general manager came to the 2024 NHL Draft with one first-round selection (No. 6 overall) and 12 more the following day. He left with an elite defenseman , two first-round talents, an experienced defender and nine more selections that add depth at the defense and center positions.
"We attacked the draft," Armstrong said Friday after selecting Tij Iginla with the No. 6 overall pick and trading into the first round to take Cole Beaudoin . "We've got assets. When you see guys that you don't like but you love, if you can get to them, you've gotta try."
The next morning, he went and got a star — trading with the Tampa Bay Lightning for two-time Stanley Cup champion Mikhail Sergachev .
Utah knew it would make history when it selected the first-ever draft pick in franchise history. But making the team better took some dealing.
Here's a look back at Utah's first foray into the NHL Draft and ahead to the looming free agent signing period.
The LED screen at The Sphere in Las Vegas announces a trade during the 2024 NHL Draft on Saturday, June 29, 2024. | Aaron Shill
Early Saturday morning, the trade alert blared through the Sphere in Las Vegas, and there was an audible gasp from the crowd when it was announced that Sergachev had been dealt to Utah.
" Mikhail Sergachev is a proven winner and point producer and has been one of the best shut-down defenseman in the NHL for a sustained period of time," Armstrong said. "Mikhail is a top two-way NHL defenseman, and you cannot win in this league without a star, elite defenseman. We are thrilled to welcome Mikhail to our organization and look forward to many years ahead with him leading our blueline."
Chris Armstrong, Utah's president of hockey operations, added: "Bringing in one of the premier defenseman in the NHL — and a two-time Stanley Cup champion — demonstrates our commitment to our fans and to our team that we will take the necessary steps to drive this organization towards its potential."
Sergachev comes at a cost. Utah had to give up a good prospect in Conor Geekie , 19, who was ranked by The Athletic as the organization's No. 4 overall prospect , and defenseman J.J. Moser, who played 162 games for Arizona over the past two seasons.
The acquisition of John Marino via trade from the New Jersey Devils — a trade announced just shortly after the Sergachev deal — will help fill an immediate need. Ryan Jankowski, associate director of amateur scouting, said trading up to get Beaudoin (whom Bill Armstrong says has a "work ethic (that) might change the culture of our organization") softens the blow of losing Geekie.
"I think we addressed the need (Friday)," Jankowski said. "You lose Conor but now you maybe have his replacement down the line."
Sergachev gives Utah a top-tier defender who is in just the second year of an eight-year extension that he signed with Tampa Bay .
"He's a young guy so there's still room for him to keep developing," said Darryl Plandowski, Utah's director of amateur scouting. "Defensemen develop a little later than forwards, and they're so valuable. It costs us some assets, but it's well worth it. He's going to be a big part of our future going forward."
Before the draft, team owner Ryan Smith reflected on the player who would be the first draft pick to put on a Utah jersey.
"It's the first time, the first moment, but more than that, there's a family and a kid who's worked his entire life to get to this moment, and he gets to be the very first draft pick in the Utah franchise history," Smith said.
That family just happens to be really famous in hockey circles.
Tij Iginla is a 17-year-old forward who comes via Kelowna of the Western Hockey League.
His father, Jarome Iginla , was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020. His career resume includes:
Six-time NHL All-Star.
Two-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner as the NHL's top goal-scorer (2001-02, 2003-04).
Winner of the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's points leader in 2001-02.
Two-time gold medal winner for Canada.
Jarome Iginla scored two goals for Team Canada during the gold medal game at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Armstrong called the younger Iginla an "amazing kid" with playmaking skills.
"It's not the name," Armstrong said. "You fall in love with the player and the talent level, and you forget about the name. ... The name, you can celebrate on draft day, but he's gotta have talent, he's gotta have passion and he's gotta want to bleed for Utah, and we believe he has that. ... He's going to make his own name in Utah."
Armstrong laughed when he recounted telling Iginla: "We've got a lot of 20-goal scorers on our roster. We need a 50-goal scorer. No pressure."
The NHL's free agency signing period starts Monday. Coming into the draft, Utah had the most cap space in the league, and both Armstrong and Smith were asked at the NHL Draft about the team's plans for signing free agents. Both emphasized patience and balance.
Armstrong has talked about not blocking the path of young talent in the organization by signing too many free agents. He repeated that message after Friday's first round, while also lauding the organization's prospect depth.
"We have to be realistic. We have young players," Armstrong said. "Most of the players that were superstars (in the Stanley Cup Final), they're 10 years in. ... If you look at the numbers, go through them, when guys peak, it's hard to say that Logan Cooley is going to lead us to the Stanley Cup next year. We have to tailor our expectations for the team. I do believe that we probably have some of the most talented prospects in the NHL coming in ... so it's an exciting time for the organization but I don't want to get ahead of ourselves by adding a few free agents to the mix."
Sergachev would appear to be part of the long game. As mentioned, he's only 26 and is under contract for seven more seasons, so he should make the team immediately better without compromising the development of younger players. A lot of Utah's organizational depth is at the forward position, and adding Sergachev and Marino via trade makes Utah better on defense before free agency even starts.
"From a cap space standpoint and going into the season, I'm very aware of where we're at," Smith said. "I'm very aware of where the market's at and the opportunities we have. My message the whole time — and our actions will definitely show that — is that my job is to back our team and to back Bill. ...
"That's the balance. You're managing polar opposite emotions at all times. You want to win now, but you want to win for the long term. You want to create this culture. But we're young. We're young. And the future looks really bright."
