On Monday night, Sean Durzi left the Utah Hockey Club's game against the New Jersey Devils after suffering an upper-body injury in the match's first period, which Utah eventually lost to the Devils.
After the loss, Utah Hockey Club Head Coach Andre Tourigny was interviewed but did not provide an update on Durzi's situation, saying he would need further evaluation. Utah Hockey Club insider Belle Fraser reported this via X/Twitter and said Durzi was in a sling after the game.
Tourigny had no update on defenseman Sean Durzi who left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period. Said he’ll be reevaluated. Was in a sling postgame.
— Belle Fraser (@bellefraser1) October 14, 2024
The need for further evaluation and Durzi being seen in a sling led people to believe that this injury could be quite serious, which was eventually confirmed by the Utah General Manager on Tuesday after making his weekly appearance on KSL SportsZone, where he said, "It doesn't look like he's (Sean Durzi) going to be back anytime soon".
That leads us to Thursday, where Frank Seravalli, a trusted NHL insider closely tied to the Utah Hockey Club since the acquisition, broke the news that Sean Durzi needs surgery and is expected to miss four to five months.
Sean Durzi expected to miss 4-5 months for Utah Hockey Club
Durzi's injury has created an enormous hole in Utah's blueline, which no one expects John Marino, who has also been ruled out for months, to be able to fill. If Utah plans to compete for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot, significant changes will be made to the blueline to keep Utah in contention until Marino can debut for Utah and Durzi can return.
It is unfortunate because Durzi was off to a great start in Utah's inaugural season. He had two assists in four games and was dominating his minutes with Mikhail Sergachev at five-on-five. With Durzi going down, Sergachev is the only defenseman on the Utah blueline with a positive expected goal share at five-on-five, which is a huge issue going forward.
The Utah Hockey Club is lucky to be 3-1-1 to start the year. They started the year by outscoring their defensive issues, which will only worsen without Durzi. They will not be able to do this forever. General Manager Bill Armstrong will have to consider bringing in reinforcements from outside the organization to bolster the blue line, which he attempted to do this offseason.
However, the one positive aspect of this situation is that it happened early in the season. If Durzi were able to return in four months, it would bring Durzi back in time for the most important games of the season coming down the stretch if Utah can remain in playoff contention. This injury happening this early in the season also gives Bill Armstrong plenty of time to figure out how he will keep this team competitive and bridge the cap until Sean Durzi and John Marino get back in the Utah Hockey Club's lineup.