Mikhail Sergachev was taking out the trash last week when his phone rang.
Then it was time to pack his bags.
“At first it was a shock,” the Russian defenseman said Friday morning inside Delta Center. “I wasn’t expected to be traded.”
After seven years with the Tampa Bay Lighting, Utah Hockey Club picked up the star defender during the NHL draft — a move years in the making, and one the franchise hopes can help a young team take its next step.
Utah has made a number of acquisitions in recent days — none bigger than adding the 26-year-old Sergachev, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, to the squad.
What will the defenseman bring to his new club?
“It would probably take 20 minutes to answer that,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “I think he is a well-rounded guy. He plays good defense. He moves the puck really well. He has a good shot, can play power play, play PK and he’s a proven guy.”
Sergachev finished last season with 19 points — two goals and 17 assists — while missing time with a knee injury. Meanwhile, Utah general manager Bill Armstrong had been patiently waiting to make a move for someone of Sergachev’s abilities for some time.
“We always had reached out to every team in the NHL that had a No. 1 defenseman and just planted a seed,” Armstrong said.
He had the assets.
He just needed a willing partner.
So when Tampa came to him last week with a proposal, Armstrong slept on it, knowing all the while it was a no-brainer.
“As an organization, when do you get a chance to add a No. 1 D-man to your roster? That opportunity doesn’t come around,” Armstrong said. “This was the deal that could help our franchise take the next step and we were able to pull it off.”
If the deal had happened 48 hours later, it would have required clearing another hurdle: a pending no-trade clause in Sergachev’s contract.
“I got traded two days before that kicked in. So I had no choice,” he said Friday, when asked about the clause. “Knowing [what I know] now, I would probably waive it.”
The 6-foot-3 Russian admitted he knew less than little about Salt Lake City before the trade.
“I knew nothing about Utah. But taking to my agent, players and (Utah forward Clayton) Keller — everybody said great things about Utah,” Sergachev said. “It’s pretty amazing, the whole setup, the city. I’m very excited. It’s a big opportunity for me to prove myself, being a leader. So I’m looking forward to it.”
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