Salt Lake City — Mikhail Sergachev was taking out the trash when he found out he was being traded to Utah.
“It was a shock at first. I wasn't expecting it,” the defenseman said Friday about his reaction to being sent to the Utah Hockey Club on June 29 in exchange for defenseman JJ Moser, forward Connor Geekie, a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman didn't know anything about Utah prior to the trade, but speaking to the media for the first time since the trade was made, it didn't take him long to realize what could be coming with his new team.
“I talked to agents, I talked to players. [Clayton] “Everyone has said great things about Utah and the new franchise, Mr. Keller. Honestly, it's really great. The whole setup, the city. I'm very excited. It's a great opportunity for me to prove myself as a leader. I'm looking forward to it.”
The 26-year-old had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 34 regular season games with the Lightning in 2023-24 but missed most of the season with a knee injury. He returned for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, recording one assist in two games.
Despite the loss of on-ice time, he enters the new season as Utah's top defenseman.
“We're in a situation where we need a proven player,” Utah coach Andre Turini said Friday. “Sergei is that type of player. He's played in championship games, he's played in pressure games. He's one of those guys who's been on the ice when it matters… We have a young defenseman. He's going to bring experience. We're taking steps in the right direction.”
Utah general manager Bill Armstrong needed to rebuild his defense from the ground up after the 2023-24 season, and when the possibility of trading for Sergachev emerged during the draft, the team seized the opportunity.
“As an organization, we wondered when the opportunity would come,” Armstrong said, “and this would be the perfect opportunity to add a No. 1 player. [defenseman] To have a 26-year-old two-time champion on your team… opportunities like this don't come around very often, so we jumped at it.”
Sergachev appeared in 475 regular season games and had 257 points (48 goals, 209 assists) and 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) in 100 playoff games in seven seasons with Tampa Bay, winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 as a top-four defenseman for the Lightning.
In addition to his offensive prowess on the blue line, he brings a physical presence to Utah's defense.
“Obviously, I love hitting, but when I'm playing 25, 27 or 23 minutes, I try to be smart about it,” Sergachev said. “I'm just going to use my feet, I'm going to use my speed and I'm going to get the hits when I need to. But for me, it's not all about being aggressive in every situation, not just defensively, but offensively as well.”
Sergachev will also assume a leadership role with Utah, which enters the 2024-25 season as one of the NHL's youngest teams.
“I don’t really like to talk, I just kind of follow the leaders that I had before me. [Steven Stamkos] and [Victor Hedman]”They mostly just play. They go out there and show what they can do with their example and that says it all. I'm going to do the same. I'm going to focus on that. I'm going to try to play the right way and win as many games as possible,” Sergachev said.
