The New Jersey Devils weren't the most flashy team on day one of free agency. Their big story was the contract extension of captain Nico Hischier. They also locked in goaltender Nico Daws for two more years as well. 

Later in the afternoon, however, the Devils shocked the hockey world by tendering an offer sheet to Utah Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton. 

Hayton was the fifth overall pick made by the Arizona Coyotes before they moved to Utah, and now he is an impressive middle-six forward. 

During the 2025-26 season, Hayton had 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 67 games played. He also has impressive underlying numbers, proving his prowess as a two-way forward. 

Those underlying numbers suggest he has another level to get to, and it makes sense with him being just 26 years old. 

Hayton can play center or wing, but if he ended up with New Jersey, he'd slot in perfectly as their 3rd line center behind Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, with Cody Glass moving down to the 4th line.

They could also use one of Hayton or Glass on the wing and have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to players who can play down the middle when needed. 

New Jersey's offer sheet would pay Hayton on a one-year deal worth $4.775 million. Utah has seven days from Wednesday to either match or let him go. If they let him go, they'd get a second-round pick from the Devils. 

New Jersey had a deal for Hayton in place ahead of the draft, but it fell through. Now, Sunny Mehta is taking a different approach to getting his guy.

This is the type of transaction that will cause chaos because of what is to follow. For one, there is no way that the executives in charge of the Mammoth are going to appreciate this move by Mehta. 

If the Mammoth do match, they are not allowed to trade Hayton for one calendar year. He would then be a UFA next July. This is less than ideal for them, so the Devils are taking a bit of a risk ruffling some feathers. 

Will the Mammoth match? It is hard to tell. There are the aforementioned ramifications, but they also spent a lot of money on Wednesday before this transaction. Time will tell. 

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