Breaking Down the Mammoth Matching Barrett Hayton’s Offer Sheet

It took nearly a whole week for the Utah Mammoth to match the New Jersey Devils’ offer sheet to Barrett Hayton, but with hours left before the deadline, it was announced that they would keep the forward for at least an additional season.

The first offer sheet attempt in franchise history is now past us. However, the return of Hayton might not just have major ramifications on his future with the Mammoth but on other players as well. 

Hayton Gets the Best Outcome Possible

By matching the Devils’ offer sheet, the Mammoth have signed Hayton to a one-year deal with a $4.775 annual average value (AAV). By matching the contract, the Mammoth will be able to sign the forward to an extension come January 1. However, they are not eligible to trade Hayton for the next year.

There were some hints that the Mammoth were going to match the Devils’ offer sheet. The biggest was during general manager Bill Armstrong’s free agency availability. When asked about it, he told reporters he would do what’s best for the team. Armstrong repeatedly mentioned Hayton when answering other questions as if he expected the forward to return next season.

It’s been a rocky couple of months between Hayton and the Mammoth. The forward suffered injuries throughout last season, appearing in only 67 games. His offense dropped off, only producing around half of the points he did during the 2024-25 season. Hayton only appeared in one playoff game before the Mammoth’s season ended.

From there, the Mammoth elected to go to arbitration with Hayton to decide his new contract. However, because the team elected to go to arbitration, the forward was eligible for an offer sheet, which is exactly what happened on the opening day of free agency.

With his new contract, Hayton will be making nearly double the amount of money that he did on his last contract. The contract will also walk him right to unrestricted free agency next summer. It’s a risky move by the Mammoth, but for the player, it’s the best-case scenario.

Hayton gets to reunite with the only team he’s ever known and get a chance at redemption. The forward really came into his own and played his best hockey under head coach André Tourigny. On an improved Mammoth squad with new additions like Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck, he’ll get every chance to be in the team’s top nine. With a healthy season, Hayton could get back to a 46-point production rate and get an even bigger pay raise on his next contract.

If the Mammoth ultimately don’t give Hayton another contract come next summer, he won’t be tied down by being a restricted free agent. He’ll be able to sign wherever he wants, including with a team that gives him an increased role, perhaps one where he’s a number one center again.

However, it seems like Hayton wanted to return to the Mammoth despite signing the Devils’ offer sheet. As mentioned, this is the only team he’s ever known in his NHL career. He’s very close with a lot of his teammates. This could ultimately be his last chance to show he can be a big part of the Mammoth’s future, but it’s a chance he’s excited for.

“I’m fired up to get back with my teammates and remain in Utah,” said Hayton. “I’ve been with this core group for my whole career, and it’s exciting that we have an opportunity to do some special things next season in front of the best fans in the NHL.” 

Mammoth Get Hayton Back but With a Risky Future Ahead

The Mammoth didn’t have to match the Devils’ offer sheet. After bringing back Kevin Stenlund and trading for Trocheck, the team had plenty of center depth with Logan Cooley, Nick Schmaltz, and Jack McBain. While Hayton’s return doesn’t hurt them, it sure brings up a lot of questions.

You can never have too many centers, but at the end of the day, only four players can be designated as centers for a line. Will Hayton be one of those four players? Right now, it’s projected that Schmaltz, Cooley, Trocheck, and Stenlund will be the four centers, with Hayton on the third line with Michael Carcone and Trocheck. 

The big thing is that Hayton will take up another NHL roster spot. Before free agency opened, it seemed like the Mammoth might’ve been opening up a spot for Tij Iginla to potentially be in the NHL next season. However, with Stenlund, Hayton, and Kailer Yamamoto returning and the acquisitions of Lee and Trocheck, it creates a scenario where it’s hard to imagine Iginla jumping into the NHL next season.

While players like Liam O’Brien should be in the American Hockey League ahead of Iginla, there’s almost no way the Mammoth will send the veteran forward to the Tucson Roadrunners. If they can’t open up a spot in the top six for Iginla, it’s almost better that he’s in the AHL than either in a bottom-six role in the NHL or as a healthy scratch. It will allow him to play with players like Caleb Desnoyers while playing top minutes in a highly competitive league.

Outside of next season’s lineup questions, it does put the Mammoth in an interesting spot come next summer. They have two options in the next year. Extend Hayton or let him walk in next summer’s free agency. As mentioned, the Mammoth cannot trade him.

An extension will be given if the Mammoth ultimately think bringing back Hayton after this season is the best move; it will happen. However, it will most likely be decided by the forward’s play this season.

Bringing back Hayton is more of an interesting move than a harmful one. It gives the Mammoth more reliable depth, but it also creates a scenario where the team will not be able to move the forward and could ultimately get nothing back for Hayton if he decides to leave. It could be a move that the team ultimately regrets, but the Mammoth have clearly believed in him making the team better in the past and still believe that now.

“Barrett is a key piece of our team and important to what we are building here in Utah,” said Armstrong. “He’s strong in the face-off circle, plays both sides of the puck and can play with anyone in our forward group. We are grateful to be able to count on Barrett in our lineup next season.”

Devils Miss Out on Hayton but Still Could Get Another Center

For the Devils, not getting Hayton doesn’t change a lot for them. The forward was never going to move the needle a lot for them. As of now, Cody Glass and Nick Bjugstad are still their bottom two centers. You’d like to have a better third-line center (which is why they targeted Hayton in the first place), but there are some options still left in free agency.

Adam Henrique, Gustav Nyquist, Philipp Kurashev, and Kevin Hayes are all still free agents. It’s debatable if any of those players are better than Glass or Bjugstad, but it’s not like they don’t have any options.

Ultimately, the Devils can use the second-round pick they were going to use as compensation for the Hayton offer sheet to acquire another center like him via trade. It’s more than likely going to be the best way the Devils can get a center of around the same caliber as Hayton.

It might suck for the team and their fans that they weren’t able to poach Hayton from the Mammoth, but it’s not like they lost anything besides time. It’s obvious that they liked Hayton a lot, and it was worth the offer sheet attempt if they genuinely had that much interest in him. While it was unsuccessful, it’s a good move by new general manager Sunny Mehta to show he means business and is willing to do anything to improve his team, even if it creates some enemies along the way.