Barrett Hayton never really wanted the story to go anywhere else.
The Utah Mammoth center said Friday that the New Jersey Devils’ offer sheet created a stressful, unusual week, but the result matched what he wanted from the start: staying in Utah.
“It was definitely a stressful week and a unique process, but I always wanted to be in Utah. I love Utah. I have a lot of pride in being a Utah Mammoth,” he explained to the Utah Hockey Podcast on Friday.
The Devils signed Hayton, a restricted free agent, to a one-year, $4.775 million offer sheet, putting Utah in a seven-day window to decide whether to match. The Mammoth did, keeping one of their core forwards in place for the 2026-27 season.
Hayton made it clear that, even with the uncertainty, his focus never drifted from the same destination.
“Truthfully, I don’t know the ins and outs of it all that great. I try to focus on playing hockey, and management and agents and all that take care of the rest.”
He said the wait was difficult, especially while staying in touch with teammates and waiting for the organization’s call.
“It was obviously a week of talking to my teammates and all that. Finally, when it was all sorted, I was just super excited to be back with them and back in Utah.”
When the notification finally came that Utah would match, the relief was immediate.
“I was so excited. It was just a ton of relief when they notified me that they’d be matching.”
Hayton also said the situation didn’t change how he viewed the business side of the league.
“It’s a business. We’re trying to win a Stanley Cup, and the business is what it is.”
The 2026-27 season will be Hayton’s eighth in the NHL. He’s coming off a year in which he posted 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 67 regular-season games. His season ended early because of an upper-body injury that kept him out of the final 10 games of the regular season and all but one game of Utah’s Stanley Cup Playoff run.
For Hayton, the message after all the noise was simple: he wanted Utah, and now he gets to stay. He said, “Ultimately, I always wanted to be in Utah. I couldn’t be happier to be back in Utah, be back with the guys.”
“I know it sounds kind of cliche, but I feel like we have unfinished business off last season. We’re hungry, we’re excited, and I couldn’t be happier to be back with thi group of guys.”