With the Arizona Coyotes heading toward another season without the playoffs, they’ll have another long offseason to review their expiring contracts ahead of a possibly busy draft and free agency. One of the players with an expiring contract is Barrett Hayton. The young forward has been part of the Coyotes for a while now and has been instrumental in forming one of the best lines in team history. What will his next contract look like and should Bill Armstrong extend him? Let’s take a look at Hayton and his upcoming contract negotiations.
Barrett Hayton’s Career With the Coyotes
Former general manager (GM) John Chayka drafted Hayton with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. The forward made his debut against the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019 and later recorded his first NHL goal against the New Jersey Devils three games later. Throughout his time with the Coyotes, he’s played 209 games and has recorded 84 points. He’s also spent time with the Tucson Roadrunners and was loaned to Team Canada for the World Juniors in 2020 where he won a gold medal. He also appeared in three games during the Coyotes’ 2020 playoff run.
Hayton struggled to produce under former head coach Rick Tocchet but after current head coach Andre Tourigny placed him on a line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, the center took off and had his best season in 2022-23 with 43 points.
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The main issue that Hayton has had in his career so far is injuries. He’s had two major injuries in his career now including one that involved wrist surgery back in the 2021-22 season. It’s really stopped him from being a better forward. On that line with Keller and Schmaltz, he’s looked like a great center who has elevated everyone else’s game around him.
Hayton has had a nightmare 2023-24 season, especially considering the fact it’s a contract year. He didn’t record his first point until Nov. 7 against the Seattle Kraken. He started finding his scoring ways again, recording four points in five games before being injured. Hayton would sit out long-term until coming back in February. Since returning, he only has six points despite playing on the top line. He also has gotten injured once again and is listed as day-to-day.
It’s been a big decline since that 43-point season for Hayton which was a career year. Being selected fifth overall in a draft usually means there’s a lot to live up to. The center has struggled in every season but the 2022-23 season and the selection is currently looking like a poor one for the franchise. Quinn Hughes was selected two picks after. Other players like K’Andre Miller and Noah Dobson were drafted as well shortly after Hayton at five. It’s also very hard to judge the forward’s career since he’s been coached by two different coaches and has only been on a playoff team once.
Comparable Contracts
Hayton is a player that we don’t know what he actually is despite being in the NHL for a couple of seasons now. If it wasn’t for last season, he would probably compare to a bottom-line forward. However, someone who has had a similar career is Kailer Yamamoto. He was a high draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers and had a couple of 20-point seasons along with a single 41-point season. After that 41-point season, Yamamoto signed a two-year contract worth $3.1 million which the Oilers later bought out. If Hayton’s contract expired last season, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he got a similar contract.
However, his down season has really hurt any chance of getting a similar contract. Now, it seems like Hayton will get another bridge contract. Maybe something close to what Evan Rodrigues signed with the Colorado Avalanche last season which was a one-year deal worth $2 million. Just a contract to prove himself and get a longer contract worth more in the next offseason.
Projecting an Extension
It’s hard to think that Armstrong won’t offer Hayton a contract considering that he had a 43-point season last year and he is still a restricted free agent (RFA). Under Armstrong and Tourigny, the center has been a mixed bag but has also helped assemble one of the best lines in Coyotes history. Keller scored 86 points on a line with him last season and Schmaltz had 58. The Coyotes will probably want to see if Hayton can stay healthy to reunite the line again.
Even if Tourigny decides to remove Hayton from the top line, there are so many rookies coming up to the NHL in the next couple of seasons. He could 100% find chemistry with someone like Josh Doan or Conor Geekie when they make it to the NHL. There’s no risk in signing Hayton to a bridge deal. The Coyotes still have a lot of cap space and aren’t in their contention window where they’re going to sign players to massive deals.
I think Hayton will be re-signed by Armstrong to a one-year deal worth around $2 million. This will create an opportunity for the young center to prove himself next season and perhaps receive a bigger and longer deal in the future while not locking the Coyotes into a long contract in case he doesn’t pan out. Coyotes fans most likely can expect the now iconic top line of Keller, Schmaltz, and Hayton to return. It’ll be fun to see what the Peterborough native can do on a competitive team hopefully injury-free.
