In the NHL nowadays, seeing top prospects find their way to the top isn’t an oddity; in fact, with players’ rapid development, it’s pretty common as of late. Some prospects, however, struggle to reach that point, which creates pressure for many reasons, but most of the time, the number one reason for that is the spot they were drafted at. Former 2019 11th overall pick Victor Söderström hasn’t found his footing in the NHL, or quite frankly, the American Hockey League (AHL) either.
There are several reasons why this could be, but as of now, Söderström is a restricted free agent (RFA) and has yet to be re-signed. Here’s his journey with the Arizona Coyotes thus far and what some next steps could look like.
Top Prospect Heading Into the 2019 NHL Draft
Entering the 2019 NHL Draft, it was headlined up top with Jack Hughes, Kappo Kakko, and Trevor Zegras. Looking back on it, this was a relatively weak draft class, considering some of the top prospects have yet to find their groove in the NHL to this day. For Söderström, though, he finds himself in the same boat, as he’s struggled to find the success a top-15 pick should five years later.
Throughout the draft process, Söderström was praised for playing well against men in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and providing sound leadership qualities. Not to mention, he is a right-shot defenseman, which teams are always looking for. Scouts also raved about his leadership qualities, which were seen on the ice during the SHL season, which from a young player in a men’s league isn’t that common.
Former Coyotes general manager (GM) John Chayka was so drawn to Söderström he traded their second-round pick and pick number 14 to the Philadelphia Flyers for pick 11, thus taking the Swedish defenseman. In that process, they passed up on elite goal scorer Cole Caulfield, who is miles beyond where Söderström is. He entered as a top prospect with a promising future, but now concerns about being traded have risen for the 23-year-old.
Söderström Hasn’t Found His Footing in NHL Yet
Fast forward to the 2024 offseason, and Söderström still has yet to find his footing in the NHL, and there could be a couple of reasons for this. One is simply that he shouldn’t have been drafted at pick 11 during the 2019 NHL Draft. It can be argued that Chayka reached for him and wasn’t best for that position at 11. There’s a pretty good argument to be made there, but his development path since being drafted has also been rocky, to say the least.
In 2020-21, Söderström saw his first four NHL games, where he notched one goal and one assist for two points and showed lots of poise and promise. It was a good sign for the Coyotes, who severely lacked elite young talent on the blue line. He was sent back down to the AHL, where he only recorded ten points in 32 games, so there was clearly work to be done.
Since then, he has been back and forth with the Coyotes and Roadrunners, finding little success with either team. Last season, in particular, he only saw three games with the Coyotes, failing to register a point, but he had 32 points in 62 games with the Roadrunners. With the AHL, it isn’t likely where Söderström or the Coyotes want him to be, given his age and where he was taken in the draft; he did see some consistency last season.
However, with the additions of Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino, that’s likely not enough to earn a roster spot this fall.
Should Utah Trade or Sign the Young Defenseman?
Now, it begs the question, should Utah general manager Bill Armstrong trade the struggling defenseman, similar to Jan Jenik, or sign him? As mentioned, Söderström is already 23 years old, and the clock is ticking for him to turn things around, and I don’t know if that’ll be in Utah. Jenik needed a change of scenery, and he got that with the Ottawa Senators. We have no idea how that’ll pan out, but at least he’ll have a new opportunity with a new team.
If Armstrong were to sign him, he’d be destined for a spot in the AHL; then again, you have youngsters in Maveric Lamoureux and Arytom Duda making their way through the AHL, which could limit Söderström’s ice time. That being said, I think it’s safe to say Söderström will likely be dealt, as Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reported they are actively looking for trade partners for the defenseman.
Whatever happens with Söderström, it’s a bummer that he didn’t pan out, and while there are plenty of reasons, sometimes it purely comes down to the player himself.
Söderström’s Future in Utah Uncertain
As the offseason prolongs and we get closer to training camp and preseason, it seems certain that a decision with Söderström will be made within the next couple of weeks. Whether that be Söderström signing with Utah or being traded, it’ll be up to Armstrong, who has shown consistently to make the right decisions time and time again. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, but prospects like Dmitri Simashev, Lamoureux, Duda, and more look to have Söderström outnumbered.
