Kevin Hayes has now been traded twice in the last two summers.
The Flyers traded Hayes to the Blues on the eve of the 2023 draft for a sixth-round draft pick, after a season in which Hayes occasionally saw his ice time cut and was a one-time healthy scratch by coach John Tortorella. On the second day of this summer's draft, the Blues traded Hayes and a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for "future considerations" -- effectively nothing. Hayes was a scratch for a couple games to end the regular season, with Blues coach Drew Bannister telling reporters, "We need more from him."
"It's definitely an ego shot when you go on two teams in two years," Hayes said in a virtual media availability on Tuesday. "But I'm a pretty confident person. I've been in the league a long time, I've had successful seasons. I know what I need to do to make sure my game works in this league. I'll have a new opportunity in Pittsburgh to do that."
Now coming to his third team in as many years, the 32-year-old forward is driven to prove that he can still contribute in the NHL.
Hayes learned of the deal that sent him to Pittsburgh by a "quick" phone call from Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, and has since spoken with Kyle Dubas, Mike Sullivan, David Quinn and Mike Vellucci. His immediate reaction? He's just happy to be back in the Metropolitan Division. He spent the first five years of his career as a Ranger and the next six as a Flyer, so it's a situation he's familiar with and enjoys the relatively easy travel schedule. But he's also excited about being on the other end of a couple of divisional rivalries.
"It's funny how the two teams I've played for in the Metro are huge rivals with Pittsburgh," Hayes said. "There was always a low-key hatred there when you were on these teams. Now, it's the complete opposite. I have that hatred toward the other teams."
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Kevin Hayes with the Blues last season.
When the Penguins acquired Hayes, Dubas said that they "know it didn't go well or as planned for him last year in St. Louis," but they think he can "come in and help."
"He becomes available, and so we're excited to get to work with him," Dubas said. "He's been an impactful player in the league for many years in the past with New York and Philadelphia. So we'll get to work with Kevin, get him rolling and look forward to that."
It was only two seasons ago in Philadelphia that Hayes was an All-Star. He recorded a career-high 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) in 81 games. Last season that production dropped to 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 79 games.
Hayes said that he just "couldn't really find a role in St. Louis."
"I didn't play my best hockey," he added. "I'm eager to get this season started to show that I can still play in this league and be a part of a winning team. ... I still think I can produce in this league. I want to show that to my teammates and the coaching staff."
Hayes said he thinks the keys to doing that will be building the right relationship and gaining trust with the coaching staff, noting that he and Tortorella didn't "see eye-to-eye" in his final season in Philadelphia. He's also aiming to have more of a "shooting mentality" than he's had in the past.
Hayes said he hasn't spoken with the coaching staff yet about what his specific role might be, but Dubas said on the opening day of free agency that they anticipate Hayes slotting in as a center, adding that doing so could allow them to shift Noel Acciari to wing, which suggests that the Penguins' two bottom-six centers next season could be a combination Hayes and Lars Eller. Hayes said on Tuesday that he definitely prefers being center, but has the ability to shift to wing if needed ... including in the top-six if the opportunity presents itself.
"Most of my career, I've been at center," he said. "I've played parts of my career in Philly on the wing and I played part of last year on the wing with St. Louis. When I was in New York, if wingers slotted above me in the lineup got hurt, they would slot me in there. I enjoy playing center, I like the responsibility and being able to generate speed in the lower end of the ice to get me going up the ice. I'm comfortable playing both positions, and I think I'll be playing with some elite players to start the season."
Another area where Hayes can be used is the penalty-kill. He's been a regular penalty-killer for much of his career, though that mostly fell off in the last two seasons. He only saw 15:22 total short-handed ice time last season, and just 12:34 in his final season in Philadelphia.
"I just finished up over at the (World Championship) where Sully and Kyle were there and I was on (the U.S.) No. 1 PK," Hayes said. "I played PK the whole tournament. I talked to both Sully and Vellucci about that already. Last year, I didn't really have a look at it, but I was top six or seven in faceoffs which usually helps on the PK. I never really got a real chance there. It was their decision. I always wanted to be on the PK, but never had it. I'd guess I'd be doing some of it this year."
When the Penguins made the trade for Hayes, the big "get" of the deal was a free second-round pick -- huge for a retooling team. But Hayes also provides an opportunity to improve the bottom-six. He's not young at 32, but if he's replacing the 39-year-old Carter ... the Penguins did manage to get a fair bit younger. He could be a boost to Acciari, who seemed to fare better last season after he didn't have to play center and got shifted to wing. Hayes' versatility and ability to shift to wing and play in the top-six when the injury bug inevitably hits is intriguing, too.
At least on paper, the Hayes trade looks like it has the potential to be a good move.
