Flyers forward Kevin Hayes selected to 2023 NHL All-Star game

Kevin Hayes and John Tortorella haven’t always seen eye-to-eye this season, as the veteran forward has found himself in his coach’s doghouse and stapled to the bench on multiple occasions. With that as a backdrop, Hayes finding out he was being named an All-Star had to feel extra sweet for the veteran forward.

“It could’ve been a couple guys in this room,” Hayes said. “It’s a cool situation for me, because not to get emotional, but it’s probably the only thing my brother (Jimmy Hayes), since he stopped playing hockey, that he wanted me to accomplish. And I never honestly thought it would happen, but it did.”

The NHL announced the first 32 All-Stars — one representative from each team — Thursday for the 2023 All-Star game, and Hayes was a surprising selection as the Flyers’ representative. This year’s All-Star game and skills competition will be held in Sunrise, Fla., from Feb. 3-4. The Florida Panthers’ home arena, FLA Live Arena, will host. Last year, Claude Giroux represented the Flyers and won MVP at the All-Star game in Las Vegas.

The NHL Hockey Operations Department, which selected the team, decided to go with Hayes, the Flyers’ second-leading scorer with 32 points, as its pick. The decision came as a shock to many who have followed the Flyers this season, and probably expected leading scorer Travis Konecny or goaltender Carter Hart to get the nod. Hayes, who has nine goals and 23 assists in 37 games this season, will be playing in his first career All-Star game.

A 2010 first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, Hayes, who also played for the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets, is in his fourth season with the Flyers. Hayes’ All-Star nod comes after an extremely challenging 2022 season in which the forward lost his brother and former NHL player Jimmy, and also struggled through three separate surgeries to his abdominal region.

» READ MORE: The Flyers’ Kevin Hayes is embracing John Tortorella’s challenge after the hardest year of his life

While Hayes has hovered around a point per game all season (0.86 ppg entering Thursday), his play has not come without controversy. He and Konecny, the team’s two leading scorers, were benched for the entire third period of the Flyers’ shutout loss to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 23. Tortorella did not give a reason for the benchings instead opting to “keep it in the room.” Hayes was soon moved from center, the position he has played his entire career, to wing by Tortorella in a move that was viewed as a clear demotion.

Unhappy with Hayes’ defensive play, Tortorella again benched Hayes for the final frame on Dec. 15 against the New Jersey Devils and then made him a healthy scratched for the following game against the Rangers. “I have had many conversations with Kevin,” Tortorella said at the time. “Had conversations prior to this. So again, I don’t want to get into a public debate with Kevin, with you guys, as far as why” he was scratched.

Hayes was unhappy with the decision to scratch him on Dec. 17. “I don’t think anyone enjoys being scratched, so [I] wasn’t happy,” Hayes said the following day. “But it’s not my decision.”

Meanwhile, Konecny has to feel a bit snubbed to not have made the team, at least to this point. Entering Thursday, he led the 14-17-7 Flyers in both goals with 19 and points with 37, despite missing six games earlier this season due to a hand injury. The winger is averaging a career-best 1.16 points per game and has five more points than the next closest Flyer, Hayes. Hart also had a case, as the goaltender has a .911 save percentage, 2.89 goals against average, and ranks seventh in the league in goals save above expected with 12.8.

However, Konecny said he felt nothing but happy for his teammate, describing the news as “awesome.”

“Kevin’s been great in this league for a long time and done a lot of good things,” Konecny said. “So, I mean, he deserves to be there.”

Konecny added that Hayes’s personality will definitely make him a favorite in the locker room and that it will be fun to watch him and see what skills he competes in.

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Hayes will have to wait to see if any of his teammates will be joining him for the All-Star festivities. By Jan. 19, each division will have an 11-man roster following the NHL’s new selection process. The final 12 players — three players from each division (two skaters and one goalie) — will be selected by fan votes, which runs until Jan. 17.

Additionally, the NHL will factor in a Twitter vote for the first time. It will be open from Jan. 12, at 12:01 a.m. ET until Jan. 14, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Tweets must include “#NHLAllStarVote” followed by a player’s full name or a player’s Twitter handle to count. They will then be added to the online total.