Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton (upper body) will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. The 23-year-old was injured in Thursday's 3-2 win over Columbus, and according to Coyotes insider Craig Morgan, Hayton is likely heading for surgery. Hayton scored the first Coyotes goal on Thursday and had just picked up form before getting sidelined, logging all of his four points this season across the last five games. Logan Cooley and Nick Bjugstad are set to carry heavier loads in the middle in Hayton's absence.
Arizona Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton has left Thursday's contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets with an undisclosed injury. The young center will not return to the contest. Hayton was seen grimacing after scoring a second-period goal to knot the game at one goal apiece and left the game after skating just 7:57. It's been a tough season for the former first-round pick who has tallied just two goals and four points in 16 games despite averaging a hefty 19:20 of ice time per game as the team's No. 1 center alongside star forward Clayton Keller. His status should be updated either late Thursday night or Friday if additional testing is required.
Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton made his best Connor McDavid impression in Sunday's matchup against Minnesota, tallying a career-high four points in a wild 5-4 overtime win. The Coyotes fell behind 4-2 but were still able to grab the victory, with Hayton producing two assists during a three-goal surge. He also had two goals in the contest, one on the power play. The 22-year-old was completely anonymous early in the season, but his playing time started to increase when January came around, and Hayton has found very good consistency since the start of last month, notching 16 points in 17 games. For the whole season, Hayton has been able to produce 13 goals and 33 points in 67 games.
Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton has signed a two-year deal with the club just as training camp is about to open. He was a restricted free agent before signing a $3.55 million contract. Hayton had his first full season in the NHL last term, picking up 10 goals and 24 points across 60 outings. He was the fifth pick in the 2018 draft and there are clearly high hopes for him in the desert. The Coyotes are very thin down the middle and Hayton could find himself playing a very significant role in 2022-23.
