What an offseason this turned out to be for the Flyers, and their proud faithful. On Monday June 3rd, 2019 at approximately 8:40 p.m. the Flyers traded for the rights of Center Kevin Hayes from the Winnipeg Jets for a 5th Round Pick. A little over two weeks later the orange and black signed Hayes to a 7 year-$50 million deal, worth an AAV of $7.14 million per season.
Hayes is a big bodied Center, as he stands at 6’5 weighs 220 pounds, and is so tough to move off the puck. He can play all three forward positions, however Hayes has found a niche down the middle. Hayes complements skilled linemates very well, and he can be used in all game situations. He uses his big frame well to shield opponents off the puck, as he plays a good game of keep away with them:
He has provided much-needed size down the middle for the Flyers, and Hayes is also versatile. Hayes can play the wing and the Penalty Kill. He is a legit scoring threat on the PK, which has helped the Flyers immensely. Better yet, Hayes has done everything right, including scoring 23 goals on the season. He potted four short-handed goals on the season, before the season was halted to the Coronavirus, and his shorty in October was one of the best goals on the season:
His most important attribute for the orange and black was his familiarity with now Head Coach Alain Vigneault. In 2017-18, Hayes played under Vigneault for the New York Rangers, a year in which he tallied a career high in goals with 25. Moreover, Hayes and Vigneault developed a good relationship and one that rubbed off on the locker room. Hayes has helped with this group of Flyers to better understand Vigneault’s system. Fletcher tried to make this locker room less toxic, by putting his own stamp on the roster, and boy Hayes definitely had these Flyers riding high, “He’s an elite player,” Hayes said yesterday of Sean Couturier, “He’s one of the best centers in the league. He’s showing people why. I know the past couple years he’s putting up some really good offensive numbers. He’s been a finalist for the Selke twice now. He puts a lot of work into his game and he’s a very smart player. He knows where to be. Playing against him was never fun, so it’s fun being on his team and watch him play every night.”
Hayes is also a very good Penalty Killer. He has helped tremendously in an area that has been an achilles heel for the Flyers for the past few seasons. Like previously mentioned he is also a scoring threat on the PK, and he has continued to mold this unit into a successful one. The Flyers owned the 11th best Penalty Kill with a success rate of 81.8% before the pause, and a lot of the success can also be contributed to a young netminder in Carter Hart and Brian Elliott, “Hartsy is an elite goalie,” Hayes said of Carter Hart yesterday, “He’s a young kid. He’s showing everyone that he belongs in the conversation with some of these top goalies. I know when I entered the league, I played against guys that I looked up to when I was in college and in high school. I’m sure it’s the same for Hartsy. When the puck drops, he has to focus on his game and I’m sure that’s what we’ll get from him.”
The addition of Hayes was a missing glue piece that the Flyers have lacked for the past few seasons. For his efforts, the team is now a legit threat in the playoffs as they look to defeat the Montreal Canadiens, but Hayes appears to be focused at the task at hand, “We’re just worrying about our own game right now,” Hayes said, “We have a couple practice days to get to where we want to be and then come Game 1, we’ll see where we’re at.”
