​The Utah Mammoth are deciding to match the New Jersey Devils’ offer sheet for forward Barrett Hayton. The Devils issued a one-year, $4.775 million offer on July 1, following Utah’s announcement that it had acquired Vincent Trocheck and signed Anders Lee to a three-year contract with a $5.4 million cap hit. Had Utah not matched, it would have surrendered a second-round draft pick. After this move, the Mammoth have roughly $4.5 million in remaining cap space. The sticking point with a potential match is that Utah would be unable to trade Hayton for a year, effectively pushing him to unrestricted free agency. However, Utah made clear that Hayton remains a central part of its plans.
“Barrett is a key piece of our team and important to what we are building here in Utah,” said Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong. “He’s strong in the faceoff 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.”
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Looking ahead, the schedule for the 2026-27 NHL season will be released on July 16, with opening-day games announced on July 15. The season usually kicks off in early October. The key dates include July 15 for the opening-day schedule announcement, July 16 for the full NHL schedule release, July 20 for the start of arbitration hearings, September for the opening of training camps, and October for the start of the 2026-27 season. The 2026 NHL Global Series in Germany is slated for December 18–20, featuring the Blackhawks versus the Senators in Düsseldorf. The NHL All-Star Game is set for February 6 at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.
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