Barrett Hayton Excited to Be Playing Playoff Hockey After Injury – The Hockey Writers – Utah Mammoth

Barrett Hayton had to be the only person in the world not excited to watch the Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights series. Sidelined with an upper-body injury since March, the forward had to watch the first thrilling four games from way up above in the press box. 

“It sucked watching those games,” Hayton said.

Considering that, on top of that, Hayton was coming off a pretty disappointing season. Ignoring his injury-shortened 33-game season in 2023-24, the forward had back-to-back 40-plus point seasons. It seemed like the former fifth overall pick had finally found his footing. Yet, he only produced 25 points in 67 games in a contract year.

Though he’s considered a game-time decision ahead of a crucial Game 6, Hayton is eager to get out of the press box and make the most of the playoffs. That includes potentially helping the Mammoth extend their season a bit longer as well.

Welcome Back to the Lineup

Hayton’s last game of the regular season was on Mar. 24 against the Edmonton Oilers. Before Wednesday, it had been a month since he skated in a hockey game. To step right into playoff hockey after being out that long, it’s not an easy accomplishment.

Not to mention leading up to his last regular-season game, Hayton hadn’t been playing good hockey. He had three points in his last 10 games after a solid February. After a whirlwind day, where it was first announced during morning skate that he wouldn’t play, and then being inserted into the lineup right before Game 5, Hayton had the same mental focus as he did back in March.

“I was focused,” Hayton said. “In terms of my game, I was just trying to play as I always have. When you’re returning from injury, you’re trying to get up to speed and all that through the practices and skates and that whole process, because when you get on the ice, you’re ready to rock. It’s Game 5 of the playoffs…My focus is from right from the puck drop to jump right in.”

Going into the playoffs, Hayton was one of the three former Arizona Coyotes players who had played in the playoffs back in 2020 (Nick Schmaltz was injured during the team’s playoff run in the bubble). However, unlike Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse, Hayton didn’t play the whole run. 

The 2019-20 season was Hayton’s rookie year. In fact, he had only played in 20 games leading up to the season’s pause. In the playoffs, he only played three games, twice in the play-in series against the Nashville Predators and once in the first round series against the Colorado Avalanche. Hayton didn’t have a single point across those three games and ended the playoffs as a minus-three.

However, that’s not saying Hayton hadn’t played in big games before. During his three seasons with the Soo Greyhounds, the team made the playoffs all three years. In 44 playoff games, Hayton had 39 points, 16 of which were goals. Plus, he was captain of Team Canada at the 2020 World Juniors tournament, where he helped his country win gold, scoring the game-tying goal in the championship game.

It’s not like Hayton has been away from the team either. As mentioned, he watched the first four games of the series closely from the press box.

“I’ve been watching the last four games super closely,” Hayton said. “I’ve been watching a lot of playoff hockey throughout my life, so I was prepared for it. I was really happy to be out there, and it was great to be competing with guys.”

Hayton played nearly 13 minutes in Game 5. That was around the minutes he usually got in the regular season, but considering the game went into double overtime, it probably wasn’t the ice time he wanted. However, it was his first game back, and it’s clear he’s not at 100%. No one in the playoffs is.

However, Hayton wanted to go. Especially because whoever won Game 5 would have the chance to eliminate the other team on Friday. He wanted to return as fast as humanly possible, and his recovery process got to the point where he was ready for Wednesday’s game.

“If I’m being honest, I wanted to be back as soon as possible, and I was fortunate to get out there last game,” Hayton said.

He did finish the game as a minus-one, but again, it was his first game in a month, and it was his first NHL playoff game in nearly six years. Hayton played mostly on the third line alongside Alex Kerfoot and Michael Carcone. However, he also took shifts on the fourth line.

“I felt like we were able to do a bit of everything, depending on special teams and whatnot,” Hayton said. “You get out there with different guys, different situations. I felt like whoever we were out there with, we did a good job of playing with pace, trying to play quickly through the neutral zone and try to tilt the ice as best we could.”

Competing at Not 100% Health

It was clear the Mammoth were slowly working a not 100% healthy Hayton back into playing. He had the second-lowest ice time on the Mammoth and the third-fewest shifts. Yet, head coach André Tourigny liked what he saw from the forward while admitting fully that this is not Hayton playing at full health.

“I liked his game,” Tourigny said. “I think he’s a really structured guy. He’s playing really good defense. He’s always in the right spot. He competes. He did not hurt himself in that game. Let’s say there’s a percentage of your health, and at the level he is, it’s to see if he is comfortable playing at that level. He’s not 100% for sure…but it’s his decision.”

There’s a big difference between regular-season games and postseason games. In the playoffs, the play is a lot more intense. There are a lot more hits and defensive plays. Those are two things Hayton does well. He had 34 hits and 29 blocked shots during the season, a style of play he brought into Game 5. While he didn’t have a hit, he did have a block. Not to mention, he also had two shots on goal.

Hayton brings a lot of speed, too. In the regular season, he was in the 76th percentile in the NHL in terms of max speed, clocking in at 22.76 miles per hour (MPH). For comparison, Beck Malenstyn was number one in the league with a 24.94 MPH max skating speed. It’s a big tool the Mammoth have used in the playoffs that has won them some games.

“You see how tight the game is,” Hayton said. “There’s not a lot of ice; you’ve got to be able to release pressure, play fast. It’s different in terms of the spacing in the regular season. I think at the end of the day, it’s the same game, and you’ve got to treat it that way.”

Heading into Game 6, Hayton is listed as a game-time decision. However, if he has anything to say about it, he’ll be on the ice at 8 PM, helping the Mammoth stave off elimination. Being in the press box was something Hayton had experienced a lot in his career and something he doesn’t want to know again, especially in the playoffs.

“It’s the worst feeling in the world watching the games and not being able to be out there, competing, not being able to help the group,” Hayton said.

For hockey fans and hockey players all over the world, the playoffs are the best time of the year. No one wants to miss out on playing postseason hockey. For Hayton, he’s happy he’s gotten to experience that in Game 5, and he’s looking forward to experiencing it again in Game 6.

“This is the best time of year,” Hayton said. “It was great to be back out there, competing with the guys. We’re working hard, and it’s great to be back out there.”

Game 6 might be the last opportunity for Hayton to impress Mammoth management enough to make a dent in his new deal, which will be signed this summer. However, for Hayton, he’s just hoping he and his team will do enough to have another chance to do exactly that with a Game 7 in Las Vegas on Sunday.