{"id":457485,"date":"2024-12-01T08:10:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-01T13:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=457485"},"modified":"2024-12-01T07:55:35","modified_gmt":"2024-12-01T12:55:35","slug":"sergachev-utahs-top-defenceman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/12\/01\/sergachev-utahs-top-defenceman\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah Has Found Their Top Defenceman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> prior to the season, defenceman Mikhail Sergachev<\/a> is proving his worth. The 26-year-old was originally drafted ninth overall by the Montreal Canadiens<\/a> in 2016. He only played four games with Montreal and was then traded to Tampa in the Jonathan Drouin<\/a> deal. The Utah Hockey Club gave up a haul to Tampa Bay that included J.J. Moser, top prospect Connor Geekie and draft picks in exchange for the 6-foot-1 Russian. The move significantly bolstered Utah\u2019s blueline, which is now heavily depleted due to a few injuries. Sergachev has played well for his new team and will continue to be an important player for Utah.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking for Bounce Back Year<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last season is definitely one Sergachev wants to come back from. After suffering a major leg injury, Sergachev missed most of the season and only played in 34 games. With 16 points already this season, he leads all Utah defencemen in the category. With this being his first season in Utah, the two-time Stanley Cup Champion already averages 25:44 of ice-time, which is ranked third among all defencemen. That’s more playing time this season than any of his seven with Tampa Bay. With Sergachev at the top of the defence, Utah looks to come back from a rocky start to the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sergachev is already close to matching most of his stats from last season. Last year, he had 53 shots on goal, 69 blocked shots, 36 hits, and 142 total shot attempts. This season, Sergachev has 39 shots, 40 blocked shots, 15 hits, and 108 shot attempts. That also includes two game-winning goals, tied for first among defencemen. With him almost reaching last year\u2019s numbers, that\u2019s a step in the right direction for Sergachev and Utah. With Utah\u2019s defence having trouble staying healthy, they will rely heavily on him to put up points and be the stalwart on the blueline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding His Scoring Touch<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Although he’s known more for defence and assists, Sergachev has scored quite a few goals as of late. Sergachev has found the back of the net four times in the last seven games. Currently, at six goals, he\u2019s already close to tying his career high of 10. The biggest one recently was an overtime winner against the same team that drafted him, the Canadiens. Sergachev logged 30:43 of ice-time in the game, his highest number this season and has six points in the past nine games. He\u2019s one goal behind Utah captain Clayton Keller<\/a> and is tied with Logan Cooley<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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SERGY WITH THE OT WINNER!!!! <\/p>\n

LET'S GO!!! pic.twitter.com\/54WrOotwDG<\/a><\/p>\n

— Utah Mammoth (@utahhockeyclub) November 27, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n