The New Jersey Devils got bad news this week when the Utah Mammoth matched the offer sheet Sunny Mehta sent to Barrett Hayton. After the sheet was matched, Utah made it appear that Hayton was a key member of the Mammoth organization, and it makes sense to take that route. Not only did the Mammoth sign Hayton to a deal worth just under $5 million, but according to the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, the Mammoth can’t trade Hayton for a full calendar year.
While the offer sheet is going to walk Hayton straight to unrestricted free agency where the Devils can sign him for free, the Mammoth were pretty bold in their statements following the signing. Right after the move, the Mammoth put out graphics saying things like “Barrett is a key piece of our team and important to what we are building here in Utah,” and “I’m fired up to get back with my teammates and remain in Utah.”
Then, we hear from the Mammoth again on Friday, and the conversation is a little different. This is a player who is coming off a really down season, but he has a pedigree to play well in a certain role. Hayton had just 25 points last season, but he is an incredible defensive center who can shut down other lines.
So, when Mammoth GM addressed the situation outside of a prepared statement, his response was interesting.
Bill Armstrong breaks down why Utah matched New Jersey’s offer sheet for Hayton:
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) July 10, 2026
“A second round pick has a 30% chance to play in the NHL…It doesn’t make a lot of sense. We don’t need a pick off in the future.”
“We need a player that’s a proven NHL player.” pic.twitter.com/gGbvg2MVHd
So, according to the video above, the reason Armstrong matched the offer sheet had nothing to do with Hayton's value to the Mammoth but his value on the trade market. Talking about the likelihood that a player is goin to make it to the NHL from the second round shows this is about ego more than about what's best for the team.
This also might be the world record for most times saying "30 percent" in one answer. We get wanting to ask for an NHL player in exchange for Hayton, but that time has come and gone.
The Mammoth did not do a good job responding to the offer sheet from the Devils
Just a few years ago, the St. Louis Blues got Dylan Holloway for a second-round pick. Obviously, if he was available on the open trade market, the Edmonton Oilers would have gotten much more for him, but they let him go as this was clearly better for the player.
The Mammoth decided that keeping Hayton was in their best interest simply because they felt like a second-round pick wasn't enough. We've seen this happen in the past, ironically most recently with Vincent Trocheck. Teams will hold onto trade assets too long before their trade value tanks.
It appears the Mammoth are ready to do the same. The Devils can move to their backup plan, and the Mammoth are stuck with a logjam at forward that was self-inflicted. All because they felt a second-round pick wasn't enough.
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