Utah Hockey Club signs goalie Karel Vejmelka to 5-year extension

SALT LAKE CITY — The "Veggie!" chants will be sticking around.

The Utah Hockey Club has signed goaltender Karel Vejmelka to a five-year contract with an annual average value of $4.75 million, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. The new deal represents a significant investment into Vejmelka, who has played like a top-10 goaltender this season.

He's 10th in wins above replacement, ninth in goals saved above expected and eighth in goals allowed per game. He's also been in net for 17 of Utah's 27 wins, including the team's last four victories as it has made a push up the standings.

Now, he'll be paid accordingly.

The deal is front-loaded with Vejmelka getting $5.75 million in the first two years and $5.1 million in the third, according to PuckPedia. The final two years of the contract will be under $4 million.

His salary for next season will make him the ninth highest-paid goalie in the NHL and will be a decent jump from his current $2.7 million. If nothing else, it represents that Utah sees him as the starter for years to come.

And it's a deal that he was hoping would come to fruition before he hit free agency this summer.

"I don't have really any reasons to change anything," he said Tuesday. "So, yeah, (the) first thing on my mind to be part of the team, especially with these kinds of players, this kind of team; we are like a big family. So it's fun to be part of it, and I would like to be part of it for a couple of more years."

How about five?

Vejmelka isn't the only one who will be sticking around, either.

In the days before the trade deadline, the Utah Hockey Club has been busy; but the team has been more focused on keeping its current group intact rather than making changes.

Along with signing Vejemlka, the Club also inked forward Alex Kerfoot and defenseman Ian Cole to one-year contract extensions, each worth a reported $3 million average annual value.

Those deals come after defenseman Olli Määttä signed a three-year extension earlier this week. Michael Carcone, Nick Bjugstad, Robert Bortuzzo and Nick DeSimone are Utah's remaining pending unrestricted free agents.

"As the hockey ops, we try to come together and get better and make the team better every day and look at every different option of adding new contracts or, should we re-sign somebody," general manager Bill Armstrong said earlier this week. "So I think it all plays itself out as the season comes to an end here."

So far, that's been just keeping the group together.

Kerfoot, 30, has played in 61 games this season recording seven goals and nine assists. That's been a drop in production from his previous seasons (he had 45 points last season for Arizona), but he's a versatile forward and Utah values what he brings to the locker room.

Kerfoot has skated on all four lines this year — showing he can play in the top six and be a jolt to the bottom six, as well — and has been key to Utah's penalty kill as well.

"Alex is an important leader for our group with his versatility on the ice and leadership off the ice, and we look forward to having his continued contribution as we fight down the stretch to make the playoffs," Armstrong said.

Cole, meanwhile, has given Utah a steady veteran on the blue in a season full of injuries. He is averaging a career-high 20:37 of ice time — at 36, no less — and has mostly skated on the second pair this season. He's dropped down now that everyone is back healthy.

"Ian is the consummate professional and puts his body on the line nightly for our team," president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong said. "He has played a critical role in helping to shape the identity of our team this year through his work ethic, durability and relentless commitment."

Chris Johnston of The Athletic reported that Cole's $3 million extension comes with a $2.8 million base salary and games-played bonuses worth another $200,000.

Related topics