During Saturday night’s PHNX Coyotes post game show [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG-oLGH0Evw&t=2246s], Craig Morgan provided us with some critical information regarding two injuries. Arizona Coyotes forward Travis Boyd is reportedly out for the rest of the regular season with a torn pectoral muscle while Barrett Hayton has suffered a setback in his upper-body injury that will keep him out until February. Prior to his injury Hayton served as the Coyotes number one center alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz while playing a valuable role on both the power play and penalty kill. Hayton suffered this upper-body injury in a game against the Dallas Stars on November 14 which required immediate surgery and has since been seen with a cast on his hand. While his original timeline to return was 4-6 weeks, fans will now have to wait a little bit longer than that. 20231216_Tourigny_PostGame_FTP “As far as Barrett Hayton goes, it hasn’t responded as well as they thought,” Morgan said. “I’m hearing February 1 as a return date for Barrett Hayton. That's a long time, that's like a month and a half away. Originally the timeline was 4-6 weeks, but he is going to need a lot more time. We’ve seen him with the cast on his hand. I think it’s the thumb, there was surgery, so that’s not good. Barrett Hayton is going to be out for a while.” This is a major blow for the Coyotes as they now will be without arguably their most valuable center for at least a month and a half. Alexander Kerfoot has found a solid role on a line alongside Keller and Schmaltz, presumingly replacing Hayton until he is ready to return. Boyd, a player that was starting to hit a groove before getting hurt, is now forced to watch the Coyotes for the remainder of the season off of the ice. “With Travis Boyd who was in and out of the lineup early in the season, but after the injuries to McBain and Hayton, he was pressed into duty and he was playing well,” Morgan said. “He’s dealt with so much this season and he’s been such a professional about it. It’s really a shame to hear, Travis Boyd is not going to be back this regular season. If they make the playoffs he might be back for that but he is not going to be back for the regular season. I’ve heard he has a torn pectoral muscle, so he’s going to be out a while.” Coach André Tourigny was really happy with the way Boyd was playing as the season progressed even telling him that he needs to increase his minutes before going down with this apparent injury, so this is truly a bad break for Boyd. With these two players out long term, the Coyotes center depth will certainly be tested as they continue to hunt for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
