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)

• It was wondered before the deadline if the Rangers would trade Hayes and then re-sign him in the offseason.

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.

The Flyers have acquired the rights to Hayes from Winnipeg for a 5th round pick.

If Hayes signs with Philly he would reunite with Alain Vigneault.

Adam Rotter: This isn’t surprising as the Flyers are looking to get back to the playoffs and Vigneault obviously knows what Hayes can bring. I wouldn’t be shocked if Hayes still tests the UFA market, or at least goes to the period where he can speak with other teams, but the Flyers have the chance to get him locked up.

5/25/19 | Where the Kevin Hayes situation is right now

Elliotte Friedman wrote in his 31 Thoughts column that there is a lot of work being done by teams on former Ranger and pending UFA Kevin Hayes. (Sportsnet)

He notes that Colorado, Philadelphia and Chicago are among the teams doing their “due diligence.” (Sportsnet)

Chicago originally drafted Hayes in 2010 but he opted not to sign with them and instead join the Rangers.

Colorado was consistently mentioned as a possible landing spot for Hayes at the trade deadline.

Hayes played the first four years of his career with the Rangers under current Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault.

The Rangers acquired Brendan Lemieux and the 20th overall pick in exchange for Hayes at the deadline.

Hayes was ranked 17th in The Athletic‘s list of the top 20 UFAs this summer and Craig Custance writes that the Jets have shown “no indication” that they want to bring Hayes back.

The Islanders just re-signed center Brock Nelson to a six-year deal worth $6 million per season.

Nelson has averaged .50 points per game in his 480 career regular season games while Hayes has averaged .60 points per game in his 381 career regular season games.

Hayes (4 goals, 9 assists) has appeared in 40 career playoff games compared to 26 for Nelson (7 goals, 4 assists).

Adam Rotter: Brock Nelson set the bar for Hayes and with limited depth at center on UFA market it’s easy to see the former Ranger landing a deal of at least six-years and probably $6.5 million. The Rangers could have locked Hayes up for that kind of deal at any point from July 1, 2018 to when he was traded so, unless they have a secret handshake deal for him to return, it seems unlikely that there will be a reunion. It’s not out of the question, especially with how much Hayes loved being in New York and being a Ranger, but Hayes is likely to continue his career somewhere else. There isn’t a lot of depth on the UFA market at center so Hayes could not only have his pick of where to go but also cash in in a big way.