Utah Hockey Club's top defenseman out with injury until next year

Per Frank Seravalli from Amazon Prime's Monday Night Hockey, the Utah Hockey Club defenseman Sean Durzi will be out for the next 4 to 5 months with surgery upcoming. He injured himself this past weekend playing against the New Jersey Devils when he took an awkward hit from Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler. The injury is a huge blow for Durzi and the Utah club in the early parts of the season.

The Utah Hockey Club General Manager Bill Armstrong made it official earlier in the week on KSL Sports Zone that Durzi would be out for some time moving forward. The 25-year-old defenseman will leave a big hole in the lineup for the Utah Hockey Club. Durzi is a physical player who recently recorded the first fight in franchise history, dropping gloves against Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Murphy.

But Durzi brought so much more to the game than his physical presence. Having led in a career-best performance this 2023-24 season with 32 assists and 41 points in 76 games while playing for the Arizona Coyotes, his great form won him a four-year contract extension with Utah worth $6 million annually through the 2027-28 season. His presence on both ends of the ice will surely be missed as Utah looks to stay competitive in his absence.

The Mississauga native was originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs as the 52nd overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft. But it really never did get going in Toronto, as Durzi was moved to the Los Angeles Kings in January of 2019 in exchange for Jake Muzzin moving to the Maple Leafs. To this date, he has been trying to etch his presence in the league with 108 points in 216 games between the Kings, Coyotes, and Utah.

With experience and a track record as his backing, Sean Durzi will no doubt dent Utah's defensive strength. The club will have to dig deep and see the days through until his expected return later in the season.