No matter what I say or write, Kevin Hayes is a talented NHL player, demonstrated by his record for the Flyers, with 157 points in 253 games. Even in a tumultuous season with relationship issues and clashes with Head Coach John Tortorella, Hayes was the second highest point scorer on the team.
However, it is clear he is no longer a good fit with the Flyers. His offensive mindset conflicts with the defensive, responsible style of play that Tortorella demands. Hayes also no longer fits the timeline of a team at the beginning of a painful rebuild that will likely last the next two or three years.
Tortorella with his bombastic player management style was always going to ruffle feathers and there were many who wondered who he would clash with the most. Some thought Cam Atkinson could be cursing his luck to move from Columbus to find Torts at the Wells Fargo Centre. However from the outside it appears that actually Atkinson gets on very well with Torts.
Similarly, mercurial right winger Travis Konecny, in desperate need of a strong season after disappointing hockey in the previous two campaigns, seemed to flourish after initial teething issues. In fact they got on like a house on fire and Konecny had a record point scoring season.
However from the offset it was obvious that Kevin Hayes, a playmaker with little consideration for defense and back-checking, would struggle under Tortorella’s defensively minded system. Hayes being benched and made an example of on a number of occasions seemed to erode his confidence and he became less and less motivated to battle and put in the work that Torts always demands.
It is worth noting that this situation is not Kevin Hayes’ fault. If the Flyers 2nd overall pick and now Stanley Cup Champion, (YUK!) Nolan Patrick worked out, then Fletcher wouldn’t have hit the panic button giving Hayes the current inflated contract he is on. But as we now know very well Fletcher was prone to hitting the panic button.
Unfortunately there are only two viable options for the Flyers on what to do with Hayes and his whopping $7.1 million contract which expires in 2026.
Option 1: The Trade
A trade is unlikely to be forthcoming and will likely require Danny Briere to be exceptionally creative to make it work and not look like a Chuck Fletcher-esque trainwreck and attach draft picks here and there. Many teams that could do with a solid 3C player are dealing with cap constraints and Hayes has a modified no trade clause which is rumored to include 12 teams. It is quite possible Hayes would say yes to a trade to some of those teams now… but probably not the Coyotes, (not) sorry Bettman.
- Carolina Hurricanes:
The Canes currently have 24mil in cap space but have some holes in their roster. They did have an aging group of centers, Stastny, Staal & Stepan. Though Hayes at 31 is only a couple of years younger. The Flyers would almost certainly have to retain salary, probably couldn’t get their 3rd pick back from the Canes but a Canucks 5th or Blackhawks 6th is better than ‘future considerations’.
- Boston Bruins:
This would be the fairytale ending, a nice way to wrap up his career with a move to his hometown team. Then we could all forget about Kevin Hayes as he rode off into the sunset. But Boston are up against the cap and have even more glaring holes that need filled in their roster. The only way a deal could work is to take on another inflated contract…. Such as Charlie Coyle, Boston’s version of Kevin Hayes. Same age, same contract length and a cap hit of 5.25. Again the Flyers would likely have to eat a portion of Hayes’ contract in the hope of getting another player who gets injured like Hayes, but has a slightly better defensive upside. In the end this would be a lot of effort for a player who also has a modified no trade clause and possibly wouldn’t come anyway. Sorry Hayesy I couldn’t make this work for you.
- Nashville Predators:
The Preds missed out on the playoffs last season and not by much. They are a team that has projected $15mil in cap space. Thomas Novak was their highest scoring center getting 43 points. If the Flyers ate, say, 30% of Hayes contract then it might be possible for the flyers to get a draft pick of some kind, maybe one of their 4th round picks from the Lightning or the Leafs if lucky. However this would really depend on the direction the Predators are going in with a new GM.
- Columbus Blue Jackets:
A move to Ohio does make a lot of sense when you look at the roster but looks difficult when considering the numbers and even more unlikely if Mike ‘piece of shit’ Babcock becomes Head Coach. It can hardly be expected that if Hayes who clearly struggled with Tort’s tough love, that he is unlikely to excel under the mental and physical torture and abuse of Babcock. But Columbus do lack quality at center where Hayes can provide an upgrade. Rumors of a move to Columbus have cooled in recent days but I expect this is only because when Chuck Fletcher discussed a possible deal before the deadline he was likely attaching something to this trade. Which is something Danny Briere will not do. So it is possible that the Blue Jackets will circle back to a trade especially if Danny can be creative again and work some magic involving a third team.
Wildcard options:
Teams like the Canucks, Maples Leafs or the Avalanche could all benefit from a playmaking center who can get 50 points in a season. However it would be very difficult for any of them to take his contract.
Option 2: The Buyout
Kevin Hayes has no real value with his contract. Even after a 54 point season. Seeing him moping around the bench and not looking like he is enjoying hockey is not going to add value either. Currently a trade is not forthcoming and it won’t be a pretty one either. You buy him out because you do not want him training with guys like Farabee, Foerester, Cates or any other young player and you want to enact a culture change. When Tortorella started with the Flyers he highlighted major concerns around the locker room and the team culture, that “there was a ton of entitlement”. We have seen a number of players move on from the organization and Torts is still not happy, hence why he won’t even appoint a captain. So Hayes is the next one that has to be moved.
Either way a buyout or a trade, Kevin Hayes’ days with the Flyers are numbered. Neither option is going to be a happy outcome. A buyout might mean marginal savings on the cap, but that’s pointless anyway! We aren’t going to splash the savings on any free agents. The numbers are ugly for 2024-25 & 25-26 particularly at $4.7mil cap hit when we would hope the Flyers would be on their way to being competitive. Along with a $1.66mil cap hit until 2029.
Option 3: THE MYSTERY BOX
This is not a real option. Kevin Hayes staying on this team is not an option. Kevin Hayes pissing and moaning all year with Torts making an example out of him constantly, is not good for the player, the team or his limited trade value. I like comments on Flyers twitter that Torts should just suck it up and play him. I think it’s easy to say that on Twitter but if someone in the front office was to do this then he would quickly hit the self destruction button eviscerating everyone in Voorhees.
When we consider all the options, retaining Kevin Hayes for another season is not really a viable choice. It could prove unwise to actively move on players that Tortorella likes and works well with and not move on Hayes to pastures new. All that remains is to hope that Danny Briere can work his magic and find a solution that benefits both the Philadelphia Flyers and Kevin Hayes.
In Briere we trust.
By: Ewan Stuart (@EwanFlyers)
photo credit: nhl.com
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