The Arizona Coyotes were howling for a center and got…Barrett Hayton?

When the draft started, it was unclear the direction the Arizona Coyotes were going to go. It could’ve been a defenseman or it could have been a talented goal scorer. Instead, it was Barrett Hayton.

There is nothing wrong with Barrett Hayton the player; he’s a good hockey player and was definitely worthy of being taken in the first round of this year’s NHL Draft. There is no hatin’ his talent on the ice. He is a good two-way center, but does not bring a lot of offensive firepower. For the Coyotes, at that point, there were plenty of better options on the board.

Hayton had a strong season for the Sault Sainte Marie Greyhounds of the OHL. It helped he was surrounded by great talent. The Greyhounds were one of the best teams in the league last season. Next season will really show what kind of prospect Hayton is, as he will take on a bigger role and be responsible for carrying more of the offense.

Hayton was projected to be a player taken in the teens of this draft. Top 10 seemed possible, but top five was a shock. The first two picks went to plan, but then the Montreal Canadiens went a little off script, taking Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

The door was wide open for the Coyotes to take Filip Zadina, the high-scoring winger from the Halifax Mooseheads. This would have been a perfect player to place next to Alex Galchenyuk. But the Yotes are going to Yotes, and they took a two-way center too early in the draft.

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The Coyotes started the draft night strong by announcing they would be bringing back the famous “Kachina” styled jerseys. From there, things started looking better as they had an opportunity to take one of the top wingers or even the second-best defenseman in the draft. It could have been much much worse for the Coyotes. Hayton is going to be fine. But he won’t be the game changers who were available at No. 5.