March 4, 2025 | 3:07pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com
UTAH TAKING CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO DEADLINE
Utah GM Bill Armstrong
The Utah Hockey Club is healthy and winners of six of their last 10 games, putting them to points out of a wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, Utah GM Bill Armstrong is taking a broad approach. He would love to improve his hockey club, he has pieces to deal away, too, but he also wants to see what his group can do now that they’re fully healthy.
So with Friday’s 3pm ET deadline around the corner, Armstrong is proceeding with caution.
“I don’t think we’re a buyer, I don’t think we’re a seller,” he said in an interview with the club’s website. “We’re somewhere in between.
“We’re always looking to improve the team through trades and acquisitions, but at the end of the day, we’re also in a period where there’s a lot of guys that have to develop in front of us before we go chasing rentals.”
As TFP’s David Pagnotta reported in early February, the Utah HC are expected to be very active this off-season and have money to spend in the free agent market.
But with the club in striking distance of a playoff spot, Armstrong may wait until the summer before pulling the trigger on any major, impact additions.
“We’re not in the window that Colorado is in and we’re not in the window that Dallas is in,” Armstrong said. “We’re in a different window. Ours is about playing the guys that we have and letting them develop in front of us.”
Armstrong isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a big deal to “add a dynamic piece” now, he stated, but it has to be the right fit.
One piece the team may look to move, though, as part of a deal for an upgrade elsewhere on the roster is forward Matias Maccelli, who has one more year remaining on his contract after this season and comes with a $3.425 million salary cap hit.
While there is speculation over Lawson Crouse’s future with the organization, Pagnotta reported on Tuesday that Maccelli is a player Armstrong is dangling as trade bait for an upgrade, likely someone with term on his contract.
Maccelli, 24, has picked up eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points in 52 games with Utah so far this season. He collected 57 points in 82 games last season, and 49 points in 64 games in 2022-23.