Arizona Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton made his return to practice on Monday after being sidelined for nearly two months. The 23-year-old suffered an upper-body injury in a game against the Dallas Stars on November 14 and has been out ever since. Originally, Hayton was only supposed to be out for 4-6 weeks, but PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reported that there was a setback in his injury and his new expected return date will be after the All-Star break. Despite still expecting to be out until late January or early February, the fact that Hayton was on the ice is a positive sign that there should be no further setbacks and he is doing well in his recovery. Prior to getting hurt, Hayton had two goals, two assists and four points in 16 games. His impact goes far beyond just his stats though as he played a valuable role on the team’s first line alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz and on the first power play unit. 20240107_Tourigny_Postgame_FTP Not to mention Hayton is a great two-way center, also serving on the penalty kill. He plays a scrappy and tough minded game that helps his teammates around him. The young forward is never afraid to go into the dirty areas and fight for loose pucks, a trait that is important in a center. Without Hayton in the lineup, there is certainly a void down the middle and based on the Coyotes recent offensive struggles, it seems that they could use Hayton’s presence. With Hayton out, Alexander Kerfoot is currently playing on the first line.
