The Utah Hockey Club has had trouble staying healthy on the blue line all season long. Every injured player for Utah is a defenceman, leaving the team with holes on the backend. The injured players are John Marino, Sean Durzi, Maveric Lamoureux and Robert Bortuzzo. Utah recently claimed Nick DeSimone off waivers from the New Jersey Devils to add depth. While players like Olli Määttä, Michael Kesselring and Ian Cole have stepped up in larger roles when needed. However, it looks like one of those missing players could be returning to the Utah lineup very soon.
Important D-man Returning?
Although Marino was expected to be a large part of Utah’s defence prior to this season, complications arose. The 27-year-old was acquired from the Devils before the season’s start and has been out with a back injury that required surgery. Marino was spotted at Utah’s practice on Monday and was no longer wearing a non-contact jersey, an indication that a return to the lineup is close. He was dealt by the Devils after essentially being deemed the odd-man out and Utah was able to land him. Marino’s estimated return date is currently February 1 and will likely need more practices to get up to game speed.
John Marino is no longer in a non-contact jersey and the Utah Hockey Club has returned for 7 straight at home.#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/H3jBtl2TEq
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 6, 2025
Marino recorded 25 points in 75 games in his second and final year with the Devils last season and hasn’t played a game for Utah yet. The former Edmonton Oilers draft pick logged at least 20 minutes in average ice time during every season of his five-year career and would’ve continued that this year. Once he returns, Utah will officially be the third team Marino’s been on in his career besides the Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s unknown where Marino will slot in once he returns as Utah may choose to ease him back into action with shorter minutes.
Potential Defensive Pairings
There have been many lineup changes to Utah’s defence this season. According to Moneypuck.com, the pairings of Mikhail Sergachev, Maatta, Cole and Kesselring have spent the majority of the season together. Juuso Välimäki, Bortuzzo, Lamoreaux and Vladislav Kolyachonok have rotated on the third pairing. Lamoreaux could also be close to returning after being seen at Utah’s morning skate prior to their game against the Florida Panthers. However, a Marino return likely pushes him out of the lineup. These are potential defensive pairings Utah could deploy when Marino returns:
Sergachev-Marino
Maatta-Kesselring
Cole-Valimaki
The first pair of Sergachev and Marino would be the best partnership on the team. Sergachev is by far Utah’s best defenceman because of his ability to play offence and defence. The 26-year-old has 29 points in 40 games this season, which is the most among Utah defencemen and has the second-most blocked shots among all Utah skaters with 75. Both Sergachev and Marino have a career Corsi-For of 51% or higher, showing that they controlled the puck more often when they were on the ice. While the pairing of Cole and Valimaki would be a more defensive pair for Utah. Cole leads all Utah players with 114 blocks this season, while Valimaki would fill in beside the 35-year-old veteran. It won’t be confirmed until Marino returns, but this is an idea of how Utah’s defence could shape up.
Utah’s defensive core struggled in the first few months of the season, but it has improved lately. Most notably, the team’s goals against per game has dropped to 2.97, which now ranks 13th in the NHL. The team’s penalty kill is up to 80.7%, which is also 13th in the league. Utah will have a deeper defensive core once the team is fully healthy.
Main Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
