SALT LAKE CITY – After enduring a “stressful” and “unique” weeklong process, 26-year-old forward Barrett Hayton let out a sigh of relief when the Utah Mammoth notified him that they would be matching his offer sheet.
Rather than having to pack his bags and join an unfamiliar organization in New Jersey, Hayton would return to Salt Lake City on a one-year, $4.775M deal.
BREAKING: Barrett Hayton will return to the Mammoth on a one year deal as Utah has elected to match New Jersey’s offer sheet.
Hayton will be eligible to discuss a new extension on January 1, 2027.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) July 8, 2026
“I was so excited,” Hayton told KSL Sports. “I’d always wanted to be in Utah…It was just a ton of relief when they notified me that they’d be matching.”
“I take a lot of pride in playing for Utah”🏒🦣
Center Barrett Hayton joined the Utah Hockey Podcast and described the relief he felt when the Utah Mammoth matched New Jersey’s offer sheet after a stressful week of uncertainty.#utahmammoth #tusksup pic.twitter.com/VyLkcMRmMr
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 17, 2026
So, why would Hayton sign an offer sheet and potentially risk having to leave an organization he really wanted to play for?
Given the complexities of restricted free agency, that’s just par for the course in today’s NHL.
As Hayton reiterated during an exclusive podcast interview with KSL Sports, Utah is where he wanted to be.
“I have a lot of pride in being a Utah Mammoth,” he said.
But how could that be true if he signed the Devil’s offer sheet?
Like Hayton noted, restricted free agency is unique.
Sometimes, it’s incredibly simple and deals get done well before the player even reaches their complete RFA status.
Other times it requires arbitration or can even reach an offer sheet status when another team attempts to steal the player away.
Just look at what happened between the Ducks and Leo Carlsson as they had to match an offer from the Philadelphia Flyers worth $18M AAV.
Bill Armstrong breaks down why Utah matched New Jersey’s offer sheet for Hayton:
“A second round pick has a 30% chance to play in the NHL…It doesn’t make a lot of sense. We don’t need a pick off in the future.”
“We need a player that’s a proven NHL player.” pic.twitter.com/gGbvg2MVHd
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) July 10, 2026
In Hayton’s case, based on the original team elected arbitration, he and the Mammoth likely didn’t see eye-to-eye during early contract negotiations.
Understandably, Hayton likely felt undervalued.
So, when another team came knocking with an offer sheet, Hayton seized an opportunity to garner some leverage and guaranteed a higher salary knowing the Mammoth would ultimately match.
Does that mean the situation became nasty between the Mammoth and Hayton?
Not at all.
According to GM Bill Armstrong, it’s all part of the business.
“It’s just business,” Armstrong noted. “Players want to get paid, they want to make as much money as they can in their lifetime, we get it. There’s no hard feelings between us and New Jersey. We called them and said we’re going to match. There’s no hard feelings between the club and Barrett Hayton.”
“We have really good relationships with the players, the player’s agent, and also New Jersey. There’s no hard feelings. It’s just doing business, and it’s a part of the NHL, it’s a part of the CBA. We have to respect the process.”
Why wouldn’t a player who feels undervalued exercise that bargaining tool when provided an opportunity?
Either way they’re going to get paid, but the offer sheet provides the player with the proper leverage to reach more desirable terms with the organization who owns their rights.
If the team doesn’t value the player at that number, they can decline to match and will receive compensation in the form of draft picks.
Obviously, Utah valued Hayton more than the second-round pick they would’ve received from New Jersey and Hayton still wanted to be in Utah.
If he didn’t, Utah wouldn’t have kept him around.
Simple as that.
“Throughout the entire process there was no hard feelings,” Hayton told KSL Sports. “There was nothing like that. It was all professional. All business.”
“I think Bill really summed it up well in his media availability. Ultimately, when you go into negotiations it’s all love between the player and the team. Both sides made that well known throughout and I think that was a big thing that was always there…the entire process was very professional.”
Now that Hayton has officially returned the roster, he couldn’t be more excited to be back with the core group and is entirely focused on helping the team reach new heights in the postseason next spring.
“Feeling that pride and embrace from the community means everything,” Hayton told KSL Sports with a grin on his face. “I still can’t even wrap my head around the playoff environment and the feel in the city. We as players have so much pride in that.”
“Everyone knows how hungry we are going into the season to bring that pride back, take that next step, and share that with our fanbase.”
