The first (surprising) hostile takeover bid of the offseason

Raphael Simard
The first (surprising) hostile takeover bid of the offseason
Credit: YT

Hostile trade offers are rare.

In 2024, two players who were with the Oilers at the time—Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg—were traded to the St. Louis Blues. Three years earlier, the Hurricanes made a hostile bid for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, in response to the one the Canadiens had made for Sebastian Aho two years prior.

This season saw a first—and it's quite bizarre. Barrett Hayton accepted a $4.775 million one-year deal with New Jersey.

It's strange and surprising because Utah won't have too much trouble matching the offer.

And if Utah doesn't match the offer, the team would only receive a second-round pick, which really isn't enough for a player like Hayton. Where it gets interesting is that if André Tourigny's team were to keep the forward, they wouldn't be able to trade him for a year.

It's a poison pill, then, since Hayton will become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

The Mammoth has one week to match the offer.

But what also stands out to me about this offer is that it's very unpredictable. Is this (finally) the beginning of widespread acceptance of hostile offer sheets?

New Jersey may have lost its No. 1 goaltender, Jacob Markstrom, a few days ago, but it feels like the team isn't looking to rebuild. They extended the contract of their captain, Nico Hischier, and received two depth forwards in the trade that sent Markstrom elsewhere.

With the possible—though unlikely—acquisition of Hayton, the Devils' offense would become quite intriguing.

(Credit: Daily Faceoff)

That said, has the Mammoth already made its decision?

Stay tuned over the next few days.


In a nutshell

– Scott Laughton is staying in LA.

– That's clear.

– Mathieu Joseph is heading to Edmonton.

– Signing in Florida.

– What a comeback!

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