John Marino #6 of the New Jersey Devils on bench against the Carolina Hurricanes prior to the first period of Eastern Conference Game Five of the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 11, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Injuries have already been a problem for the Utah Hockey Club in their inaugural season as they began the 2024-25 campaign without Nick Bjugstad and recently acquired defenseman John Marino. While there is some good news regarding the potential return of Bjugstad, head coach André Tourigny shared some deflating information regarding Marino and Sean Durzi’s injuries on Friday afternoon.
After missing training camp and the first week of the new season, Nick Bjugstad has been making progress and is nearing a return. During their four-game road trip, Bjugstad was a participant during practices and recently returned to contact drills.
According to Tourigny, he is somewhere between “seven to 10 days,” from making his return.
Per Coach Bear, Nick Bjugstad is making progress and is somewhere between “7-10 days” from a return.
He is now doing contact drills.#UtahHC
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 18, 2024
Once he does return to the ice, Bjugstad will be a welcomed sight as he’s a 6-foot-6 center with great size, physicality and was a solid contributor offensively for the club a season ago. During the 2023-24 campaign, Bjugstad registered 22 goals and 23 assists.
However, when he does return, that will potentially shake things up from a roster standpoint as it should require the club to send someone down to the AHL.
Unfortunately, it will be some time before defenseman Marino makes his first appearance for the Utah Hockey Club this season.
According to Tourigny, Marino is “months” away from a return after sustaining an upper-body injury.
Per Coach Bear, John Marino is “months” from a return.#UtahHC
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 18, 2024
This is significant blow to Utah’s blue line as they recently lost Durzi and will now be without Marino for a significant amount of time. The hope was that adding Marino to their D-core would lift the team and put them in a place to really compete for a playoff spot.
Now without those two for an extended period, Utah is going to have to get creative and pick a lane as to whether or not they really want to compete this season.
If so, it may require looking at some free agents or potentially the trade market. If not, they may just continue to roll with AHL skaters they’ve called up.
After sustaining an injury against the New Jersey Devils last week, coach Tourigny said that Durzi, “will be back this year but not soon enough.”
Per Coach Bear, Sean Durzi “will be back this year” but “not soon enough.” #UtahHC
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 18, 2024
According to a report from NHL insider Frank Seravalli, Sean Durzi will undergo surgery and miss four to five months. However, coach Tourigny would not comment on Durzi requiring surgery.
While it is encouraging to hear Durzi will make a return which could help Utah if they’re in the hunt for a playoff spot later in the season, their blue line has been setback significantly with these early injuries. If they’re unable to find some solutions quickly, it’s going to be difficult to keep the puck out of the net and wins may be harder to come by.
In light of so many defensive injuries, the Utah Hockey Club called up Patrick Koch from the Tucson Roadrunners for immediate depth and also signed Defenseman Terrell Goldsmith to an entry-level contract.
We have signed defenseman Terrell Goldsmith to a three-year, entry-level contract! pic.twitter.com/rLKBwIsVQO
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) October 18, 2024
The Utah Hockey Club will now return home to take on the Boston Bruins at the Delta Center on Saturday night. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
