NHL Rumors: Analyst speculates on potential first Hall of Famer for Utah's NHL team

As the NHL expands to Utah, speculation is already swirling about who might become the first Hall of Famer to represent the team.

NHL analyst Greg Wyshynski recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on the matter, pointing to a surprising candidate: Shea Weber.

"Just realized that Shea Weber's contract now belongs to Utah and that he potentially will be the first player in franchise history to make the Hall of Fame," Wyshynski wrote.

This intriguing possibility stems from the fact that Weber's contract was traded from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Arizona Coyotes on February 22, 2023, and now belongs to the Utah NHL team after relocation.

Born on August 14, 1985, in Sicamous, British Columbia, Shea Weber has had an illustrious career spanning sixteen seasons in the NHL. Drafted in the second round as 49th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Weber quickly established himself as a dominant force on the blue line.

Shea Weber inked a $110 million 14-year deal with the Nashville Predators on July 24, 2012. The contract carries a cap hit of $7,857,143 as per CapFriendly.

Weber spent the majority of his career with the Predators before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2016 and the Golden Knights in 2022. He has always stood out for his leadership skills, leading the Predators and the Canadiens as their captain.

Arizona Coyotes to be called "Utah" in Salt Lake City

The Arizona Coyotes will be called the Utah NHL team for the 2024-25 season. The new owners, Ryan Smith and the Smith Entertainment Group, announced that the team will initially go by Utah on its jerseys while a more permanent name and branding is developed.

“We’ll start with Utah on the jersey and we’ll figure out the logo and everything else and what it is that we are,” Smith told the Associated Press on Thursday. “We’re going to be Utah either way. We have the first part of the name. We don’t have the last.”

The Smith Entertainment Group has hired an advertising agency Doubleday & Cartwright to handle the rebranding process and come up with a new team name and logo.

The former owner, Alex Meruelo, retains the Coyotes name and branding and could reactivate the Coyotes franchise in the future if he can build a new arena.

For now, the team will be known as the Utah team as it transitions to its new home in Salt Lake City.