Utah Beats Trade Deadline Buzzer in Cap Clearing Trade
In what can be described as the most boring trade to come at the NHL Trade Deadline today, the Utah Hockey Club received a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks. In return, the Blackhawks would take on the cap hit of retired Hall of Fame defenseman Shea Weber, and signing rights for right-wing prospect Aku Räty and defenseman Victor Söderström. This trade came at the buzzer of the 3:00 p.m. EST deadline, making it one of the last trades to go through before the final stretch to the playoffs. The impact of this trade has bigger implications for both teams down the road rather than for the rest of this current season.
Finding themselves towards the bottom of the Central Division and Western Conference, the 28-25-9 hockey club in Utah still has a chance for the playoffs but it is a long shot. General manager Bill Armstrong would call the trade “a little bit of housekeeping on our end,” preparing themselves for bigger moves after the season ends. The trade deadline is meant for contenders to buy players that push them over the edge towards a Stanley Cup and allows rebuilding teams to add assets for the future. However, for the Utah Hockey Club and the Blackhawks, neither are the case.
The trade clears up $7.8 million in cap from Weber who retired in 2021 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024. The now 39-year-old defenseman’s remaining contract has been traded around to a handful of teams over the past three years, making the Blackhawks the most recent to take it on, helping them hit their cap floor for the next season. Additionally, in the trade, Utah gave the signing rights to Victor Söderström, a former Arizona Coyote who opted to sign a two-year deal to play professional hockey in Sweden. Söderström has one goal and 10 assists in his 53 career games for the Coyotes. Utah also gave the signing rights to right-wing prospect Aku Räty, a 23-year-old fifth-round pick in 2019 who currently plays for the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. In 105 career games with the Roadrunners, Räty has scored 19 goals and 44 assists.
Armstrong also noted that this move “accumulates some cap space [for] next year and ties up some loose ends.” The transaction does not make waves in the world of hockey but does fulfill the simple motives for both teams. The Blackhawks, sitting near last in the league, are in full rebuild mode. They can meet their cap floor easier, while taking on two young skaters that can develop into starters. On the other hand, Utah frees a little cap space where they can make bigger splashes in free agency and the upcoming draft to help them improve and hopefully make the playoffs for the first time in their newly created franchise history.
