I still don't understand the Hayton hate. We all knew it was a lesser draft, we just didn't know how much. I had him 9th and figured his potential was around a 2c, but had 1c upside, 3c downside. I also saw him as a complementary player, not the driver. At the time I remember
@hbk saying he was a project and would take time to hit his potential. He then got rushed a bit and has shown to basically be a 2c, though a bit on the lower end due to point production. He's 23 and I could make a list of 23 year olds who didn't fully develop by 22 or 21, but still hit their potential. Hell, let's not forget the list of players who've come in and produced, but couldn't defend a beach ball until 23. Hayton's a good player, we reached for him but he's a solid NHL center. It's not his fault JC took him 5th overall, and everyone thinks he should have 80 points a season now. No one thought he'd be that when he was drafted, why the heck should we now?
I like him, I hope he likes us and retires a Coyote because he seems like a great person, and helps our team win hockey games.