The Utah Mammoth have moved quickly into the next phase of their offseason, filing for club-elected arbitration with restricted free agent Barrett Hayton on Monday as the NHL’s qualifying-offer window opened.
That filing matters. Because it was the team, not Hayton, that elected arbitration, the 26-year-old center is still eligible to sign an offer sheet until the player filing deadline passes. Once that deadline closes, the arbitration path typically tightens the market and pushes both sides toward a resolution.
Hayton’s case has the feel of a familiar contract standoff. Utah clearly isn’t alone in trying to find the right number, and the filing suggests the two sides are still separated on value. The former No. 5 overall pick in 2018 has settled into a middle-six role and brings faceoff ability, but his offensive production has been inconsistent and injuries have been part of the picture.
That combination makes his next deal tricky to pin down. Based on recent contracts, Utah likely wasn’t looking to go much beyond the $2-3 million range annually, while Hayton’s camp would understandably see more value in a player drafted that high and tasked with an important center-ice job.
Recent deals for Michael Carcone and Kailer Yamamoto don’t offer a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, but both signed for $1.75 million AAV after producing at a similar offensive rate last season.
There was some initial confusion around the filing, but the correction was clear: it was Utah that elected arbitration. In club-elected cases, the process is often used less as a final destination and more as a hard deadline that forces movement in negotiations. Most of the time, these situations are resolved before they ever reach a hearing.
For now, Hayton remains in play on multiple fronts, including the possibility of an offer sheet before the deadline.
As the arbitration situation unfolds, Utah will turn to its prospect development camp after the draft. The camp runs from June 28 to July 2, with on-ice sessions at the Mammoth Ice Center on Monday and Tuesday at 10 a.m. Monday’s practice will be open to the public, and the prospects will wrap things up with a 4v4 scrimmage on Thursday at noon.
In Other News...
Mammoth Just Sent A Clear Message About Sebastian Cossa's Future
The Mammoth moved quickly to lock up Sebastian Cossa, giving the 22-year-old goaltender a two-year contract after acquiring him from the Red Wings for a draft pick. It is a clear sign they do not view him as a long-term project waiting in the wings, but as a player ready to step into meaningful NHL work after finishing his entry-level deal and turning in a strong AHL season.
Cossas arrival also sharpens the picture in Utahs crease, where he is expected to share duties with Karel Vejmelka rather than sit on the side and wait for an opening. For Detroit, the deal and the circumstances around Cossas late-season role only added to the belief that a change was coming, and now the question shifts to how quickly Utah pushes him into a regular role. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Sent A Clear Message With Its Latest Moves
Utah continued its offseason roster tweaking after draft weekend, making another pair of moves that fit the Mammoths broader push to reshape the depth chart. The club sent defenseman Maksymilian Szuber to Montreal and also brought back forward Kailer Yamamoto on a two-year deal, another sign that the front office is still looking for the right mix of young talent and experienced help as the summer unfolds.
The Szuber move opens up a question about how Utah wants to balance its prospect pipeline against immediate needs, especially with the organization still sorting through its blue-line depth. Yamamotos return gives the Mammoth a familiar piece up front, but the larger takeaway is that these are not isolated transactions, just the latest steps in an offseason that remains very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]