Ehh, Hayton is still practicing with NHL players. That has value. So too does sitting in the video sessions. I suspect we'll send him to the WJC and then go from there.
Was going to say something along the lines of whether or not he was just good to have around because he is good in terms of being a "scout" team player and is really good at displaying the defensive tendencies of other teams/players. Doesn't hurt to understand the types of systems that each team runs.
I'm mixed because I don't think this screws up his development a ton. But from the standpoint of simply not playing, yes, this is frustrating.
Also, I am pretty certain that we have had far fewer injuries to our forwards to where Hayton must fit into the lineup. I think he probably gets about 30-40 games, but might push upwards of 50-55 if we have a bad injury take someone out of the lineup for a long time.
The sooner that we can lock down a top 3 spot in the division, the more likely that number reaches 35-40.