Utah Hockey Club defenseman Sean Durzi is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, general manager Bill Armstrong said Tuesday.
Durzi was injured when he was hit by New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler while carrying the puck during the Devils’ 3-0 home victory on Monday.
“It doesn’t look like he’s going to be back anytime soon,” Armstrong told KSL Sports radio in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
Durzi, who turns 26 on Monday, has two assists in four games this season and was involved in the first fight since the former Arizona Coyotes became the Utah Hockey Club. He fought Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy in the second period of Utah’s season, a 5-2 victory on Oct. 8 in Salt Lake City.
“Durzi is a big piece. We’re going to have to find a way to replace [him], whether that be somebody that’s here with us like [Robert] Bortuzzo goes in, or it’s a call up,” Armstrong said. “You’re never going to replace him, but we’re going to have someone go in there and try and basically patch up the best way we can.”
Toronto had selected Durzi in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He has 21 career goals, 87 assists and 175 penalty minutes in 216 games for the Los Angeles Kings (2021-23), Coyotes (2023-24) and Utah.
After collecting career highs with 32 assists and 41 points in 76 games last season for Arizona, Durzi signed a four-year, $24 million contract extension through the 2027-28 season.