--- title: "Devils tender $4.78M offer sheet to Hayton, Utah forced to match" description: "New Jersey’s aggressive play forces Utah to either pay up or lose a top-10 pick center for draft compensation." url: https://sportopod.com/en-US/cluster/devils-tender-4-78m-offer-sheet-to-mammoth-s-barrett-hayton-3ad6f1a9 published: 2026-07-02T16:13:33.886+00:00 updated: 2026-07-02T16:13:33.886+00:00 author: "Kostadin Stamboliev" publisher: "Pineido" site: "Sportopod" language: en topics: ["hockey"] --- # Devils tender $4.78M offer sheet to Hayton, Utah forced to match > New Jersey’s aggressive play forces Utah to either pay up or lose a top-10 pick center for draft compensation. The New Jersey Devils lit the fuse on a rare NHL hostage play, tendering a one-year, $4.78 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Barrett Hayton that Utah Mammoth must either match or surrender the former top-10 pick center for draft compensation. The Devils’ move is the first offer sheet of the 2024 offseason and only the league’s second since 2019, a calculated escalation that weaponizes cap space to poach a building-block asset. Hayton, 23, posted 13 goals and 32 points in 2023–24 while averaging 17:50 of ice time, numbers modest for a former fifth overall pick but sufficient to draw interest from a franchise hunting middle-six upside. Utah, which acquired Hayton’s rights from Arizona in the 2023 expansion draft, now faces an immediate fork: match the $4.78M cap hit for 2024–25 or absorb the loss of a 23-year-old center who ranks among the Mammoth’s top possession drivers. General manager Kelly McCrimmon has 48 hours to decide, a window that compresses Utah’s roster-building calculus into a single binary choice. The Mammoth’s cap sheet shows roughly $70.5 million committed for 2024–25, leaving limited flexibility to absorb an additional $4.78M without creative maneuvering—likely involving a trade or compliance buyout. McCrimmon’s public posture has emphasized fiscal prudence since Utah’s 2022 inception, making the offer sheet a direct challenge to that philosophy. NHL Players’ Association executive director Marty Walsh confirmed receipt of the offer sheet and noted Hayton’s willingness to join New Jersey, framing the Devils’ move as a legitimate competitive bid rather than a procedural ploy. “Barrett is a restricted free agent who has received an offer from another club,” Walsh said in a statement. “We’re aware of the situation and monitoring it closely.” What’s next: Utah has until 3 p.m. ET on Saturday to submit a decision. If the Mammoth decline to match, Hayton becomes a Devil and New Jersey gains a young center with term control—while Utah receives draft compensation likely to include a third-round pick, per collective-bargaining rules. A match would preserve Hayton but force Utah to reallocate cap space or reshape its roster before the season opener. ## Why this matters Offer sheets are the NHL’s nuclear option—rare, high-risk gambits that upend franchise planning in a single stroke. The Devils’ play tests whether Utah’s expansion-era caution can withstand a direct financial assault on its asset-management ethos. It also signals a shift in competitive aggression: teams are no longer content to wait for restricted free agents to hit the open market. For Hayton, the offer sheet is validation of his value as a transitional piece, while for the league, it’s a reminder that the salary-cap era still permits calculated, high-stakes gambles. ## Frequently asked ### What is an offer sheet in the NHL? An offer sheet is a contract proposal tendered by one team to a restricted free agent belonging to another team. The original team has the right to match the offer or decline, in which case the player joins the new team and the original team receives draft compensation. ### How much is Barrett Hayton’s offer sheet worth? The Devils’ offer sheet is for one year at $4.78 million, including performance bonuses that could push the total to $5.28 million. ### What happens if Utah declines to match? If Utah declines, Hayton becomes a New Jersey Devil and Utah receives draft compensation, typically a third-round pick, though the exact round can vary based on Hayton’s previous contract terms. ### How long does Utah have to decide? The Mammoth have 48 hours from the time the offer sheet is formally registered to submit a decision to the league office. ### Has an offer sheet been used recently in the NHL? The last NHL offer sheet was in 2019, when the Montreal Canadiens tendered one to Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes matched the offer. ## Sources & Citations - [Devils sign Mammoth’s Barrett Hayton to one-year offer sheet](https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/barrett-hayton-new-jersey-devils-utah-mammoth-offer-sheet-one-year-nhl-contract-free-agency) — Daily Faceoff (2026-07-01) - [Devils tender $4.78M offer sheet to Mammoth's Barrett Hayton](https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/49242819/devils-tender-478m-offer-sheet-mammoth-barrett-hayton) — ESPN (2026-07-01) --- Cite: Devils tender $4.78M offer sheet to Hayton, Utah forced to match. Sportopod, 2026-07-02. https://sportopod.com/en-US/cluster/devils-tender-4-78m-offer-sheet-to-mammoth-s-barrett-hayton-3ad6f1a9