SALT LAKE CITY — Mikhail Sergachev was taking out the trash when he found he was being traded to Utah.

“At first, I was in shock. I didn’t expect it,” the defenseman said Friday of his reaction to being sent to the Utah Hockey Club on June 29 in exchange for defenseman J.J. Moser, forward Conor 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 knew nothing about Utah before the trade, but speaking to the media for the first time since the deal took place, it didn’t take long for him to see the potential of what can happen with his new team.

“Talking to my agent, talking to some players, and talking to [Clayton] Keller, everybody said great things about Utah and the new franchise. It’s pretty amazing, honestly. The whole setup, the city. I’m very excited. It’s a big opportunity for me to prove myself, being a leader. I’m looking forward to it.”

The 26-year-old had 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) in 34 regular-season games for the Lightning in 2023-24 but missed most of the year because of a knee injury. He returned in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and had one assist in two games.

Despite the lost time on the ice, he comes into the new season as Utah’s top defenseman.

“We are in a situation where we want a proven player,” said Utah head coach Andre Tourigny on Friday. “Sergey is exactly that kind of player. He’s been in championship games, been in pressure games. He was one of those guys who was on the ice in those big moments… We still have a young group of defensemen. He will bring experience. We’re making a step in the right direction.”

When the 2023-24 season concluded, Utah general manager Bill Armstrong had to rebuild his defensive lineup from scratch. When the possibility of a trade for Sergachev came up during the draft, the team took its shot.

“I just thought to myself, as an organization, when do you get a chance?” Armstrong said. “It’s a great chance to add a number one [defenseman] to your roster at 26 years old that’s won two championships… That opportunity doesn’t come around and we jumped on it.”

Sergachev had 257 points (48 goals, 209 assists) in 475 regular-season games, and 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) in 100 career playoff games over seven seasons in Tampa Bay. He won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 as a top-four defenseman with the Lightning.

In addition to his offensive ability on the blue line, he brings a physical presence to Utah’s defense.

“Obviously I love hitting, but you try to be smart about that when you play 25, 27, or 23 minutes,” Sergachev said. “I’m just going to use my legs, use my speed, and when I need to, I’m going to lay a hit. But for me, it’s not all about that. It’s about being aggressive everywhere, not just on defense, but on offense, too.”

Sergachev will also step into a leadership role with Utah, which will head into the 2024-25 season as one of the youngest rosters in the NHL. 

“I don’t really like speaking a lot. I kind of follow the leaders that I had before, like [Steven Stamkos] and [Victor Hedman],” Sergachev said. “Most of the time they just play, they go out there and show by their example what they can do, and that speaks for itself. I feel like I’m going to do the same, and I’m just going to focus on that. Playing the right way and try to win as many games as possible.”

SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time in five years, the entire state of Utah is out of a drought status.

The latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows no part of the state being in drought status, though about 25% is still considered abnormally dry.

“Portions of the state, mainly along that eastern and southern border, are abnormally dry,” KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson said. “But basically, we are completely out of a drought.”

Johnson says this is because Utah’s most recent wet winters have been crucial in restoring the state’s water supply.

“We’ve had two really good winters, one of them record-setting, as far as snow-water equivalent. So this has been huge for getting us on the right path.”

However, Johnson said whether we stay out of drought conditions will be contingent on how hot it gets this summer, and how much rain Utah gets when monsoon season hits. 

“If we’re not in a drought, now we are planning for the next,” Johnson said, quoting a saying from The Utah Department of Natural Resources. “That just kind of comes with the territory…we are one of the top three driest on average so it’s not foreign territory for us to have dry weather.”

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UTAH COUNTY, Utah — The Utah Lake Authority is hosting “planting parties” to put native vegetation in places where invasive plant species had previously been spreading.

Phragmites are a type of reed that have been taking over at Utah Lake and places across the country. Utah Lake Authority’s Deputy Director Sam Braegger said they have been partnering with other agencies to keep the phragmites at bay.

Now Braegger said they’re working toward revegetation with lots of groups who want to help them plant more native species.

“It’s been great to have groups come and help in that way, and I think they find it very fulfilling to spend an hour or two on the shoreline,” he said. “Our staff are all out there with them. They get to learn and ask questions about the lake. And then, help give back in putting plants into the ground.”

Utah Lake Authority has spent more than 15 years dealing with phragmites, according to Braegger.

“Beating back the phragmites has been necessary for some time because phragmites is very aggressive,” he said. “It grows in very thickly, so it’s terrible habitat. There’s not very much of wildlife, birds and fish, that can get in there.”

This is the Utah Lake Authority’s first time doing a “concentrated revegetation” effort.

“We’ve put out some seed before, in recent years, but just seed is all we’ve done,” Braegger said. “This year, for the first time, we’re going out and actually planting 10,00 plugs.”

Braegger said the goal is to plant over 40,000 seed plugs next year.

Heather Peterson is a reporter and producer for KSL NewsRadio. She also produces Utah’s Noon News.

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