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Danny Briere has hit the ground running fast, in three weeks since officially being tabbed as General Manager. Yesterday he made a splash with trading a sizeable Center in Kevin Hayes. With a razor thin Center market via free agency this offseason, some expected a better return for the sizeable Center. The return was just a 2024 sixth round pick, while the orange and black retained 50% of the deal.
On the surface Hayes should have netted a better return. Unfortunately, news leaked this past weekend of a proposed deal involving Torey Krug, and that original deal fell apart. In addition, a former Nashville Predator Ryan Johansen was traded a few days ago to the Colorado Avalanche in return for the rights to Alex Galchenyuk, while the Predators also retained 50% of Johansen’s salary. What this did was set the market very low for a positive return involving Kevin Hayes. Briere did his darndest to try and change Krug’s mind to allow the original to pass, even involving a current player Cam Atkinson to talk to Krug. So what transpired with Hayes for the Flyers to trade him for essentially a bag of pucks?
Hayes and John Tortorella appeared to butt heads a few times this past season. It has become apparent that the two could not let bygones be bygones. If they rectified their previous situation, then Hayes would still be on the Flyers. Their relationship obviously was fractured to the point they wanted him off this team ASAP. when the Flyers retain 50% of Hayes’s salary for a sixth round pick. It means they wanted him off this team. What is even more evident about these statements above, the St. Louis Blues were not on Hayes’s 12 team modified no trade list to be traded to.
The Flyers previously shipped out Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Columbus’s 22nd first round pick in the 2023, other picks, Cal Peterson, and Helge Grans. Briere traded Kevin Hayes to the St. Louis for a sixth round pick, to which the Flyers retain 50% of Hayes’s salary making the cap hit $3.6 million for the Blues to pony up. Underwhelming, yes, but let’s move forward as Hayes just appeared to be disengaged at times this past season. I mean it’s ok to be upset with the coach, but being disengaged around the youth is not a good thing when the Flyers are trying to build a culture. Most could see it on the ice.
In the end, the Flyers wanted Hayes off this team. I think it’s apparent of such. This move offers the Flyers more cap flexibility, as they are not on the hook for six years of his salary if the orange and black bought Hayes out. Now they are only on the hook for $3.6 million of his contract for the next three seasons.
What if Hayes has a down season in 2023-24, what would be his trade value then? Would he be able to be moved? This was also another concern, and this is why Hayes was not kept until the trade deadline to flip him for assets. There was just too much to gamble for, this way the Flyers are not handcuffed with his deal, like they were with James van Reimsdyk.
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Yes, the return was underwhelming, but there were reasons for it. The market was unfortunately set by the Johansen deal, and the fractured relationship with the coach. Doug Armstrong knew this, and took advantage of the situation, thus in the end making both parties happy. In all seriousness, I wish Hayes the best as I’m sure he has endured a lot of stress between his health and the passing of his late brother Jimmy Hayes. He’s a human being, now let’s wish him the best in St. Louis.
