When the Arizona Coyotes entered the 2022 NHL Draft, there was a major elephant in the room: the team’s depth at center. They addressed this by adding Logan Cooley and Conor Geekie, two high-end prospects to their system. Adding these young and gifted centers reassured them that, eventually, they’d have the depth at center to win the Stanley Cup, just like all elite teams. However, they still had former fifth-overall pick Barrett Hayton in the mix. Hayton has flown under many radars, but it finally seems he’s getting the attention he deserves.
Related: Coyotes’ Hayton Not Done Developing
With the additions of veterans Jason Zucker, Matt Dumba, and Troy Stecher, there is an influx of offensive talent, and the pressure is on Hayton. Not only is it on him to perform well, it’s to see if he can be a true first-line center in the NHL. Having a dynamic, high-paced player fill that role has been troublesome for the Coyotes for many seasons; however, Hayton is looking to show he can be that guy in 2023-24.
Hayton Showed Resilience in 2022-23
Starting the 2022-23 NHL season, plenty of questions revolved around the Coyotes. The arena situation loomed large, as well as the return of Clayton Keller, who was coming off a broken femur. However, Hayton was also in question as he had lots to show in a crucial season for his development. While the team would not be competing for a playoff spot anytime soon, it was still important to see what they had in the Peterborough, Ontario, native.
From the word go, Hayton jumped out to a plodding start, and a demotion to the American Hockey League (AHL) seemed like a possibility. The 23-year-old had recorded just 14 points through the end of January and couldn’t find his stride regardless of who he played with. Then, like a spark of lightning, head coach Andre Tourigny decided to place Hayton in between Keller and Nick Schmaltz. It was an intriguing idea to take the player who was struggling the most and put him with the two players who were succeeding the most, but it worked.
After the All-Star Break, he had a season resurgence, recording 26 points in 32 games. The chemistry between Keller, Hayton, and Schmaltz was displayed each night as one of the best lines in hockey. He showed resilience and determination and hopes that will follow in 2023-24, as it already has in the preseason, with a team-leading two goals in two games.
“Bigger, stronger, faster was always a big goal of mine when I was younger,” Hayton said. “I always grinded in the offseason. I’m a competitive person so you get competitive in the gym with other guys. That was just always kind of the way I saw things, but as you get older, you kind of get a sense of what works best for yourself. When you’re 15, 16, 17, it’s hard to tell because you’re still developing so much and building into your frame and getting a sense of it. I think the big thing was having more experience in the NHL and understanding the game and understanding what’s best for me.”
Hayton is No One-Hit Wonder
After exploding offensively for the Coyotes in the latter half of the season, Hayton must show he is no one-hit-wonder. While many argued he was taken higher than he should’ve in the 2018 NHL Draft, he showed he could hang with the other teams’ best players each night. It’s also fair to mention up until after the All-Star Break last season, he had contributed and excelled at every other level of hockey, so it was bound to happen in Arizona.
Hayton is also on the last year of his contract and will likely want to get paid and have some security in Arizona. General manager Bill Armstrong showed that this offseason by signing Matias Maccelli and Connor Ingram to reasonable contracts that suit the team and players. Assuming Keller, Hayton, and Schmaltz stick together, he could have an even bigger breakout season than last year. However, it looks like that line will continue to play together as they did in the two Global Series games.
The former fifth-overall selection has all the skills to become an elite first-line center in the NHL, but it will ultimately be up to him to put in the work.
High Expectations Heading into 2023-24
After an action-packed summer for the Coyotes, it seems there are high expectations for the organization this season, including Hayton. As mentioned above, the team’s lack of center depth seems to constantly nag at them once injuries rally up or players underperform, which has cost them big time. With Hayton’s breakout campaign towards the end of last season, there are some serious expectations for him to take another leap forward in his development.
It undoubtedly helps that he will be playing with both Keller and Schmaltz, who have established themselves in the NHL and within the Coyotes team. But what expectations should be held for Hayton? He finished with 43 points last season, which is a significant bump from his 2021-22 total, but seeing even more from him will be ideal. Hayton needs to have a monster season to prove and show management he can play with the Connor McDavids of the world and the best the NHL has to offer.
Hayton has high expectations entering 2023-24, and his ceiling may be higher than previously thought.
Coyotes’ Hayton in Position to Succeed
Hayton’s resurgence towards the latter half of the 2022-23 season certainly gives the Coyotes a better feeling from what they have in the former fifth-overall selection. Not only that, but they have put him in a position to succeed with a much-improved roster. He is also likely to be a part of the Coyotes’ core that contains the leaders of this organization. It will be an exciting season in the desert and even more exciting to see how Hayton performs.
