Utah Hockey Club first-round pick demands a trade: may refuse to report to the NHL

One of the restricted free agents still remaining in the NHL is Utah defenseman Victor Soderstrom. He voiced frustration last season when he suited up for only three games with the Coyotes compared to 30 games in the 2022-23 season.

It appeared the plan all along was for Victor Soderstrom to remain in North America for the upcoming season. It appears that won't be the case anymore. According to Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Rose of Aftonbladet, Utah is reluctant to let go of the 2019 first-round pick. While Soderstrom would prefer an NHL contract, it appears he doesn't want one with Utah, so is looking at options overseas.

Abrahamsson and Rose note that multiple Swiss League and SHL teams showed interest in the 23-year-old, but his old team, Brynas IF is apparently close to finalizing a deal. There's little question he'd be leaving money on the table should he go this route, but Victor Soderstrom would be able to return to the program he originally developed with ahead of his drafting by the Arizona organization.

Victor Soderstrom appeared in a career-high 62 games last season with the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners, recording nine goals and 23 assists. But that didn't help his chances of being called up. And especially considering the recent additions of Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, and Ian Cole on the blue line for Utah, the chances of him landing a roster spot going into this season are even slimmer.

It's also worth mentioning that Victor Soderstrom is now waiver-eligible, meaning if he had inked an NHL deal, he would have to clear waivers to head back to the minors, thus allowing other teams to put in a claim for him. For now, it seems he'll be heading back to Sweden for at least this season. Utah retains his rights as a restricted free agent with the stalemate between both sides not being resolved for the time being.

Source:
Craig Morgan on X

Source: HockeyDB
Victor Soderstrom Stats