On Wednesday, Utah Mammoth General Manager Bill Armstrong announced that the club has exercised its right of first refusal and matched the one-year, $4.775 million offer sheet tendered to restricted free-agent center Barrett Hayton by the New Jersey Devils.
Hayton will now remain with the Mammoth on a one-year contract with a salary cap hit of $4.775 million. He will be eligible to hit unrestricted free agency next July 1, and Utah is restricted from trading him for the next year, effectively tying him to the roster for next season.
Offer sheet matched. ✅
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) July 8, 2026
We have signed forward Barrett Hayton to a one-year contract.
Read more here: https://t.co/0SfgGhQTCD pic.twitter.com/3gxn31V7Pp
“Barrett is a key piece of our team and important to what we are building here in Utah,” said Bill Armstrong, general manager of the Utah Mammoth. “He’s strong in the face-off circle, plays both sides of the puck and can play with anyone in our forward group. We are grateful to be able to count on Barrett in our lineup next season.”
“I’m fired up to get back with my teammates and remain in Utah,” said Barrett Hayton, forward of the Utah Mammoth. “I’ve been with this core group for my whole career and it’s exciting that we have an opportunity to do some special things next season in front of the best fans in the NHL.”
Hayton, 26, collected 10 goals and 25 points in 67 games with the Mammoth during the 2025-26 regular season. The 6’1″ center appeared in just one game with Utah during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.