What Happens Now After Mammoth Match Barrett Hayton's Offer Sheet From Devils
The Utah Mammoth matched center Barrett Hayton's one-year, $4.775 million offer sheet from the New Jersey Devils.
Devils GM Sunny Mehta had signed Hayton, an RFA, to the offer sheet on July 1, which gave the Mammoth seven days to decide whether to match it or not.
Utah would have received a 2027 second-round draft pick as compensation had it decided not to match the contract. Instead, they're keeping Hayton for 2026-27.
Utah Mammoth Match New Jersey Devils' Offer Sheet For Barrett Hayton
The New Jersey Devils hit Barrett Hayton with an offer sheet, but the Utah Mammoth matched it to keep their player.
What Happens Now For The Mammoth And Hayton?
Because the Mammoth matched Hayton's contract, they cannot trade him for a calendar year, according to the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA.
Hayton is eligible to sign a contract extension as early as Jan. 1, 2027. But if he doesn't agree to a new contract with Utah, he'll become a UFA in 2027 free agency, and the team can't sell him beforehand.
The Mammoth also now have about $4.58 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia.
Utah is loaded on depth at center after acquiring Vincent Trocheck from the New York Rangers last week. They also have Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley, Kevin Stenlund and Jack McBain has center options.
Coach Andre Tourigny will have to figure out who's going to play on the wing if they're all staying.
While Hayton has played on the wing already, he ranked second on the Mammoth in faceoff win percentage behind Stenlund. McBain ranks third.
That said, Schmaltz, Cooley and Trocheck are bona fide centers. Trocheck, in particular, had a 56.9 faceoff win percentage this past season with the Rangers.
There's the option of moving one of their depth centers to the wing and still having them take the faceoff.
With a shorter pre-season in September, the Mammoth will have fewer games to figure out the positioning before the regular season begins and they try to make the playoffs in an ultra-competitive Central Division.
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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 10:28 AM.