Date Published: 10-21-2022
(Photo by Matt Slocum/AP)
Here we are now, a week into the 2022-2023 NHL season. The Flyers have played two games, starting the season well with wins in their first two before facing two contenders in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. Before the back-to-back in Florida gets underway tomorrow night, let’s identify and examine some possibilities for the captaincy vacancy on this current team. John Tortorella has made it known that the captaincy is not a priority and he even went as far today as saying he probably won’t have one all year. But, if a leader does emerge from this team, there’s a possibility he could don the “C” for the orange and black before the season ends. Let’s identify some possibilities.
Kevin Hayes
Hayes, a fan favorite, has become a central figure in the Flyers’ organization since his arrival in the summer of 2019. The team has been somewhat built around him and many of his former teammates, whether in college or the NHL, have been brought into this locker room. If that doesn’t carry some weight, I don’t know what does.
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Hayes is coming off an injury plagued season that saw him undergo three surgeries to try and correct the same issue. When he was finally fully healthy over the last month of the season, he looked like the same player that helped propel the Flyers up the standings and to the eventual number one seed in the east in 2020. He battled all the way back from the obstacles he faced throughout the season to prove to himself, his teammates, the coaching staff (who would be replaced), and the city that he could still play. That’s a leader.
Hayes also saw his brother pass away about a month and a half before last season started. There aren’t many players in the world who could go through three surgeries and the passing of a family member and handle it with the courage that Kevin Hayes did. He was never shy to talk about anything he went through, never turned down an interview, and always had a smile on his face around the rink.
On the ice, Hayes has been thrust into the Flyers’ top line center role and assumed more responsibilities with Sean Couturier on injured reserve for the time being. He has seen time on the first powerplay unit, the first penalty kill unit, and regularly has and will continue to play over 20 minutes every night.
John Tortorella said throughout the summer that he thinks “there’s more there” when it comes to Hayes. It’s hard to disagree with him. Hayes is a do-it-all center with an infectious personality. He had an immediate impact on the locker room upon his arrival, having an “A” on his sweater since 2019. Recently, Tortorella called Hayes out for a flaw in the room and Hayes took responsibility for it and corrected it immediately. That shouldn’t carry much weight, but it’s good to see that Hayes has a grip on the room and he has bought into what the head coach has been trying to do.
Giving Hayes the captaincy would further emphasize the concept that has been around the Flyers since the trade of Claude Giroux: this is Kevin Hayes’ team now. Couturier has been a great player in this city for a long, long time. He will be here for the next eight years. Right now, the Flyers have built this team and room around Kevin Hayes.
