James Nichols
It wasn’t for the flashiest player, but the New Jersey Devils might have made the most noise on the first day of free agency.
They sent restricted free agent center Barrett Hayton a one-year offer sheet worth $4,775,000. Utah now has seven days to match it or let him walk.
This didn’t come out of nowhere. According to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, the two clubs had a deal in place during the 2026 NHL Draft that Utah ultimately backed out of. That unfinished business clearly left some scar tissue.
What makes this offer sheet actually viable is the arbitration path the Mammoth chose. Because the team elected arbitration, it opened the door for this kind of aggressive play. Had Hayton been the one to file, the rules would have worked differently and this maneuver probably wouldn’t have been on the table.
The biggest practical problem for Utah is the cap. They’re sitting on just $4,697,977 in available space—already short of what the Devils put on the table. Squeezing in another $4.775 million without moving money or bodies around is going to hurt.
On top of that, Utah went out and added two veteran forwards the same day. They brought in Vincent Trocheck in a trade with the New York Rangers who has three years left on his deal at $5.265 million and signed Anders Lee to a three-year pact worth $5.4 million. Those are real commitments that eat up both dollars and roster spots.
The addition of Trocheck keeps their center depth look deep and in a way that doesn’t leave much room for Hayton. It’s almost like they planned it this way.
You’ve got Trocheck, Nick Schmaltz ($8 million AAV), Logan Cooley ($10 million AAV), Jack McBain, and Kevin Stenlund. That’s five centers fighting for ice time before you even get to Hayton. If Utah matches, he’s almost certainly looking at a reduced role.
Here’s the part that really stings if they decide to keep him: the Mammoth can’t trade Hayton for a full year under the terms of the matched offer sheet. He’d play out the season on that deal and then walk straight into unrestricted free agency next July if there’s no extension. So matching means paying nearly five million for a player they can lose for nothing.
From the Devils’ side, this is a clean swing. They only risk losing a second round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and they’re not locked into anything long-term. Considering they have two first round picks in the the same draft, it’s a risk Sunny Mehta is willing to take.
Either Utah blinks and New Jersey adds a 26-year-old center for at least one season at a reasonable number, or Utah pays a bit more than they’re comfortable with and then lose him for nothing anyway.
The pressure is on in Utah.
Mehta was quick to ruffle feathers in his first free agency.
