Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev Credit: DIRK SHADD | Times
Mikhail Sergachev is preparing to move to Utah. In late June, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded the defenseman to the Utah hockey club, which does not yet have a name. The hockey player visited Salt Lake City in July, admiring the cleanliness of the streets and the people's responsiveness.
"I realized that Utah is super top," Sergachev told RG.org exclusively in early August. "I went there in early July, looked at the city and the arena, tried to find a house I could move into in September, and I really liked everything. The cleanliness of the streets especially struck me. You won't find this in New York or other big cities."
Sergachev spent part of the summer in Moscow, where he met with former Utah Jazz star Andrei Kirilenko, who played there from 2001 to 2011.
"He told me a lot about Utah and Salt Lake City," Sergachev said. "He advised me where to live and promised to send me a list of good restaurants. He said the club has a great owner who is always in touch with you. He told me many things."
What was Kirilenko's main piece of advice? "Don't have too many wives," Sergachev laughed.
Utah has yet to decide on a team name. The shortlist includes several options: Utah Yeti, Utah Hockey Club, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom, Utah Mammoth, and Utah Blizzard.
"I like Blizzard the most," Sergachev said. "And not because it's a famous video game company, but because it has a double 'z' at the end, like the Jazz basketball club. I think it fits."
Sergachev spent seven seasons in Tampa Bay, winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021. The 26-year-old has grown into a leader in the Lightning's defense, so the trade was unexpected in any case.
"At first, it was a shock, but I kind of had a premonition," Sergachev said. "I thought they would trade either me or two other guys because they needed space under the salary cap. At first, I thought it was for Steven Stamkos, but it turned out it was for Jake Guentzel."
"My pride wasn't hurt because I don't get upset or cry after trades," Sergachev said. "I understand that the NHL is not about love or relationships. I know where I play. It's business, money, organizations. Clubs do what's convenient for them. It was convenient for Tampa to do it this way. But there are still advantages for me. I'm joining a team where I can become a leader. Overall, I'm happy. And it seems like Utah is happy too."
Sergachev said he spoke on the phone for 45 minutes with Victor Hedman immediately after the trade and then with Steven Stamkos.
"We remembered our victories and defeats and thought about the future. It was nice," Sergachev said.
However, it seems that the words that Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy said to him should not be discussed publicly.
"What they wrote to me cannot be talked about," Sergachev smiled. "They were very emotional, and their emotions still cannot be contained."
Sergachev will come to Tampa for the first time after the trade on March 27, 2025. He has to wait almost until the end of the regular season. NHL hockey players have a tradition of making a friendly bet on a match against their former teams. In case of victory, the money goes into the players' common pool and is spent on restaurants or other team needs.
"I still bet against Montreal; the older guys make me do it," said Sergachev, who was traded from the Canadiens to the Lightning in 2017. "I'll probably bet a lot against Tampa."
Sergey has been in sports journalism since 2007 as a reporter, editor, and manager. He has covered the Olympic Games, soccer World Cups, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, the European championships, the Stanley Cup Finals, IOC events, and many others. Sergey interviewed the sport's greatest athletes, coaches, and executives. Since 2016, he has been an Independent Senior Editor of NHL.com/ru.
