Utah HC Signs Liam O'Brien to Multi-Year Deal

Utah Hockey Club is keeping their tough guy around, as they have signed forward Liam O'Brien to a three-year contract extension. Per NHL insider Chris Johnston, the deal carries a $1 million AAV.

Liam O'Brien's three-year deal with Utah HC carries a $1M AAV.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 26, 2024

O'Brien would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but now that officially will not be coming to fruition. Instead, Utah is keeping their enforcer around, and he should be a key part of their bottom six over the next three years because of it.

With the Arizona Coyotes last season, O'Brien set new career highs with five goals, nine assists, and 14 points in 75 games. In addition to improving his offense, O'Brien continued to make a big impact with his physicality and toughness, as he had 153 penalty minutes and 229 hits. Thus, it is never easy to play against him.

Every NHL club needs energy guys, and that is exactly what O'Brien is. When noting that he has been given a three-year deal, it is clear that Utah's management views him as a valuable part of their depth.

It will now be intriguing to see how well O'Brien performs for Utah during the duration of this deal from here. Had he hit the market, he would have likely received some interest, as teams around the league always value toughness.