James Nichols
Sunny Mehta is coming out swinging. The New Jersey Devils have tendered an offer sheet to Barrett Hayton, a center with the Utah Mammoth. The one-year offer comes in at $4,775,000.
Utah has seven days to match that contract and hold onto their player. If they pass, the Devils would owe them a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft as compensation under the NHL’s offer sheet compensation rules.
The Devils are holding off on any more statements until the Mammoth decides how to respond.
Hayton turned 26 this offseason. Last year he skated in 67 games for Utah and finished with 10 goals and 15 assists. Four of those goals came on the power play, and he set a career high with 54 penalty minutes. He also played in one postseason game during the club’s playoff appearance.
The 6-foot-1, 200-lb center was drafted fifth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut back in 2019 with the Arizona Coyotes and has since split time between the former franchise and Utah after the move. In 358 career games he has 65 goals and 90 assists for 155 points total. Hayton is a left-shot forward who has been a dependable option in the middle of the ice.
This kind of offer sheet forces a team to put its money where its mouth is. Utah can keep Hayton at that salary or take the draft pick and let him walk.
Either way, it shapes how both clubs approach the summer and the season ahead. The Devils see a chance to add their center deoth consisting of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Cody Glass without trading away assets.
Utah has to weigh Hayton’s fit and production against the value of the potential future selection.
The next week will show whether Utah views him as a keeper or if they’re ready to move in a different direction.
