After missing over two months with an upper-body injury, Barrett Hayton is reportedly set to make his to return for the Coyotes on Thursday night against the Golden Knights.
According to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, Barrett Hayton should be ready to go for the Arizona Coyotes’ Thursday night matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Hayton has been out since he suffered an upper-body injury on November 14 in a game against the Dallas Stars.
Morgan also reported that Hayton along with Matt Dumba will practice on Sunday in noncontact jerseys.
Originally Hayton was only supposed to be out for 4-6 weeks, but he suffered a setback in his injury which pushed his timeline to return until after the All-Star break.
Prior to getting hurt, Hayton had two goals, two assists and four points in 16 games while playing an average of 18:37 minutes.
Having Hayton back is big news for the Coyotes.
The 23-year-old center served a valuable role as the team’s top center. He also played on both the power play and penalty kill.
Hayton was arguably the Coyotes’ most effective two-way center. His presence helped elevate the play of both Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz and he took pressure off other forwards defensively.
With Hayton back, the lineup will be a lot more balanced and his energy is exactly the kind of jolt Arizona needs as they continue to make a playoff push.