Something that many fans may have noticed about the Arizona Coyotes through the team’s first 10 games is that forward Barrett Hayton is yet to record a single point. While he is playing on a line that has been flourishing with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, Hayton is still yet to find the back of the net. Despite his struggles to generate points, André Tourigny still believes that Hayton does belong on the first line. “Ten games no points and he is still there,” Tourigny said. “That says a lot, do I have to make any more comments? It will come. We need him to produce but I have a high level of confidence in him and at some point as a coach you have a DNA, you believe in certain things and I believe in the competitiveness of Barrett Hayton. André Tourigny talked with the media following the Coyotes 3-2 win over the Canadiens. “When you have a player that is relentless, resilient, they are serious about their business, they are an unbelievable pro, things will come. He has all the talent. As a downside I have a lot of patience for those guys. When you have warriors, you take care of them.” Hayton had similar struggles last year to start the season but once he got going it was hard to stop him as he ultimately finished the 2022-23 campaign with 19 goals, 24 assists and 43 points. It’s no coincidence that Hayton is playing 19:30 minutes a game thus far. It shows the trust that Tourigny has in the 23-year-old. Hayton also provides valuable traits that are not seen on the stat sheet but the team has a high level of appreciation for. “He is a good 200-foot player… He is good on draws, he is really competitive down low, he goes to the net,” Tourigny said. “We scored at least five goals this year when he screened the goalie, so obviously he is useful offensively but definitively he can execute a little bit more.” Through the start of the season, Hayton has served a valuable role getting his hands dirty and playing in front of the net on the power play while providing a unique element to the Coyotes top line. This sort of scoring drought can make a young player like Hayton lose confidence but it’s a positive sign that the team is continuing to rally around him and still have his back as he fights to overcome these struggles.
