The 2024 NHL Entry Draft began yesterday, and there were no major moves in terms of trades. Day two, however, has seen some blockbuster trades. One including a shocking turn of events as Tampa Bay Lightning general manager, Julien Brise-Bois, made headline news by trading away Mikhail Sergachev.
The Lightning traded the star defenseman to the Utah Hockey Club during the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft on Saturday. In return, the Lightning received J.J.
Moser, Conor Geekie, Toronto’s second-round pick in the 2025 draft, and the 199th pick in this year’s draft, which led to them taking Noah Steen. This trade comes as a major surprise to some, if not most of the fanbase. Sergachev has been a big part of the team since being acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in 2017 for Jonathan Drouin and a conditional sixth-round draft pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft – a trade in which the Lightning came out on top in.
The start of Sergachev’s career with the Canadiens lasted just three games to start the 2016-17 season before being sent back to his Ontario Hockey League team, Windsor Spitfires. With the Spitfires that season, Sergachev picked up where he left off the 2015-16 season. In 50 regular-season games with Windsor, he tallied 10 goals and 33 assists for 43 points and was a +22 on the season.
In 2015-16, he tallied 17 goals and 40 assists for 57 points in 67 games with the Spitfires. The Canadiens would call Sergachev up to the team, but only saw time in one game before bei.
