James Nichols
The New Jersey Devils took a swing with their offer sheet to Barrett Hayton on the opening day of free agency. A one-year deal at $4.775 million puts the Utah Mammoth in a tough spot—they have roughly a week to match or surrender their own 2027 second-round pick as compensation.
If Utah blinks and lets him walk, Barrett Hayton slots in as a potential third-line center for a Devils group that has lacked consistent secondary scoring and two-way reliability down the middle. But if the Mammoth match, Hayton is no longer an option—especially after the Mammoth backed out of a trade. Matching the offer sheet would signal Utah is invested in the player.
That scenario makes Shane Wright an intriguing pivot.
Amid breaking another offer sheet—the Philadelphia Flyers tendering a massive offer to Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson—Elliotte Friedman explained Wright and the Seattle Kraken are ready to move on from each other.
The 22-year-old Kraken center has been the subject of trade speculation for months, and his camp confirmed this week that Seattle is open to moving him to a team that needs a young center. Wright isn’t a carbon copy of Hayton, but the numbers from their underlyings show enough overlap in production and style to make him a logical alternative—and one with more runway ahead.
Hayton’s 2025-26 season told the story of a player who did a lot of the little things well but struggled to finish. He finished with 10 goals and 15 assists in 67 games, good for 25 points while averaging 15:07 of ice time. That makes him a positive regression candidate, and one who could return to the 20-goal threshold previously met in 2024-25. His even-strength defense grade sat at the 90th percentile among forwards, and he posted a strong 74th-percentile mark in expected goals per 60.
Hayton’s underlying’s year-over-year reinforce a defensive foundation, with a 94th-percentile EV Defense rating across several seasons. What stood out less favorably is his finishing at just the 1st percentile and overall single-season WAR at only 5 percent after a stronger prior year.
Wright’s card painted a similar picture in the box score—12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 74 games—but with a slightly lighter workload at 13:48 per night. His even-strength offense grade was lower at the 32nd percentile, yet he showed better raw goal-scoring efficiency at the 48th percentile in goals per 60 and 53rd in primary assists per 60. The shot location maps on both players tell a comparable story: heavy generation in high-danger areas near the net rather than perimeter shooting.
Wright’s bursts above 20 mph landed in the 84th percentile, nearly matching Hayton’s 86th, and their top speeds were within a fraction of a mile per hour.
The biggest differentiator is age and trajectory. Hayton is 26 and coming off a down year that dragged his multi-year blended WAR to 58 percent despite stronger prior seasons. Wright, at 22, posted a 36 percent multi-year mark that included a more productive 2024-25. He carries the pedigree of a fourth-overall pick and remains on a cheap entry-level deal with a cap hit around $887,000 through next season before becoming a restricted free agent. That salary flexibility matters for a Devils roster trying to balance its core commitments.
Both players profile as middle-six centers who can handle third-line minutes without dragging down a line. Hayton brings more proven two-way stability and better expected-goal creation, which aligns with what New Jersey has sought in recent deadline windows when bottom-six offense lagged. Wright offers a younger, right-shot option who has flashed finishing ability and dangerous-zone involvement. The Kraken’s willingness to move him stems partly from his frustration with limited opportunities behind established centers in Seattle.
Wright would have a similar situation in New Jersey, but there’s a bit more flexibility given Jack Hughes‘ injury history or ability to shift to the wing.
A change of scenery with more consistent minutes and better linemates could unlock another gear.
A trade for Wright would obviously cost more than the second-round pick the Devils stand to lose if Utah declines the offer sheet. Seattle is expected to hold firm for a meaningful return—likely a combination of picks and a prospect or roster player—which is the main downside.
Wright’s 2025-26 defensive metrics sat lower than Hayton’s, and he has shown some inconsistency in his development path. Those are fair questions for a team that needs reliable minutes from its third center rather than another project.
Still, the statistical overlap in production pace, shot danger, and skating metrics makes Wright a defensible target if the Hayton deal falls through. He addresses the same roster hole—secondary center scoring and depth—while adding four years of team control at a fraction of the cap hit at $886,666.
The Devils have shown they are willing to be aggressive this offseason. Pursuing Wright as a fallback keeps that momentum without overcommitting to a one-year rental profile while buying a handful of restricted free agent years.
The Devils want the Hayton offer to go unmatched. However, if Utah matches and walks Hayton to free agency next summer anyway, New Jersey would be smart to have already lined up the younger alternative.
