6/18/19 | Hayes is expected to sign a deal with the Flyers for 6 or 7 years and a cap hit around $7 million. (McKenzie)
6/10/19 | Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher said that he has had preliminary conversations with Hayes and his agent about a contract and expects them to continue this week.
6/6/19 | On the most recent 31 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman spoke about Kevin Hayes and said that the rumor mill on him is that he would be “very happy” to go back to the Rangers. (Sportsnet)
Larry Brooks wrote in April that Hayes could return to the Rangers “if the numbers align.” (NY Post)
Brooks notes a situation where Hayes signs with the Rangers for five-years at $6 million per season if he “wants to return badly enough.” (NY Post)
Friedman said, “the rumor was that last year during the season Hayes was looking for at least 5 years x $5 million. You’ve got to think that it starts there and maybe it goes higher if there is competition for him.” (Sportsnet)
In regards to the Flyers, who acquired Hayes’ rights earlier in the week, Friedman said “how high is Philly on his list? Is he interested in going there or would he be interested to see if any other teams are curious on him.” (Sportsnet)
When Alain Vigneault was brought up, Friedman said “I’ve heard differing opinions. Some guys say their relationship was good, other guys said their relationship was typical coach/player where you battle. People said that he seemed to be much more comfortable in the role he had under Quinn as opposed to Vigneault. We will find out.” (Sportsnet)
Hayes is ranked 17th on TSN‘s list of Free Agents.
He had a cap hit last season of $5.175 million.
Adam Rotter: The issue with Hayes is likely the same that it was last summer and during the season: no-trade/no-move protection. The Rangers could do a lot worse than invest 5 or 6 years in Hayes at somewhere around $6 million but would they be willing to give anything more than a limited no-trade clause? Would the Rangers and Hayes go for a higher cap hit in exchange for less protection, or the reverse and a lower cap hit for full protection? Hayes fits with where the Rangers are and where they were going but flexibility still needs to be a priority as the Rangers are rebuilding. There won’t be a shortage of interest in Hayes, and centers are always in demand, so he would likely have to turn down better offers to return to the Rangers.