Utah inks pending RFA Durzi to 4-year deal with reported $6M AAV
Utah signed pending restricted free-agent defenseman Sean Durzi to a four-year extension, the club announced Sunday.
Durzi's new deal carries a cap hit of $6 million, reports TSN's Chris Johnston. His pact includes a 10-team no-trade clause starting in July 2026, per Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
The 25-year-old posted nine goals and a career-high 41 points in 76 games this past season while leading the Arizona Coyotes in average ice time (22:43).
Though the Coyotes' defensive numbers last season - a minus-18 goal differential and 274 goals against - were less than impressive, Durzi's underlying stats were admirable. Arizona controlled around 51% of the shot attempts and scoring chances and was narrowly outscored 56-59 with Durzi on the ice at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. He also led all Coyotes defensemen in offensive goals above replacement (7.5), per Evolving-Hockey.
Durzi spent the bulk of the campaign on a pairing with J.J. Moser. However, Utah traded Moser to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday as part of the package that brought Mikhail Sergachev to the league's newly relocated club.
Utah further bolstered its back end that same day by acquiring John Marino from the New Jersey Devils. The club also signed 25-year-old pending restricted free agent Juuso Valimaki to a two-year pact.
As a result of the new deals and signings, Utah's top four could look something like this next season, barring further moves:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Mikhail Sergachev | Sean Durzi |
| Juuso Valimaki | John Marino |
The Los Angeles Kings traded Durzi to the Coyotes last June in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. Initially selected by Toronto in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the Maple Leafs sent Durzi to L.A. in January 2019 to land rearguard Jake Muzzin.