Grading the Kevin Hayes trade for the Flyers

As late as February, Kevin Hayes could see the writing on the wall.

In the lead-up to the trade deadline, Hayes’ name was thrust into the rumor mill as then-general manager Chuck Fletcher declared that the Flyers were selling. Hayes was in the midst of a strong season from a production standpoint, eventually posting 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) in 81 games, a single-season career-high scoring total for him with one team.

But coach John Tortorella shifted Hayes from center to wing in late November, asserting that rookie winger Noah Cates made a more defensively responsible center. Tortorella went on to healthy scratch Hayes against the New York Rangers on Dec. 17. Prior to the benching, Hayes was averaging 18 minutes, 50 seconds of ice time, primarily on the top line. Afterward, Hayes played 16:47 per night, mostly in the middle six as younger forwards, including Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost, accrued more ice time.

» READ MORE: The Flyers’ Kevin Hayes trade shows the reality of the mess Danny Brierè inherited. Buckle up for a long rebuild.

Hayes had worked his way back from three abdominal surgeries the previous season, all the while mourning the death of his older brother, Jimmy, and had proved he was still a useful player. But despite Hayes being named an All-Star, it became increasingly apparent that the relationship between Hayes and Tortorella had deteriorated and that Hayes no longer had a role in the Flyers’ future, which was being handed over to the team’s youth. Plus, despite Hayes’ production, he wasn’t living up to the hefty $7.143 million average annual value salary he would be owed the next three years.

“The organization needs to make decisions that they think are going to help them, and that sometimes means that players need to go,” Hayes said on Feb. 28. “I could be one of them. ... You can argue it’s a good thing. You can argue it’s a bad thing. [I] try to just stay even keel about it.”

Four months later, speculation gave way to reality, as general manager Danny Brière sent Hayes to the St. Louis Blues Tuesday in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick. The Flyers will retain 50% of Hayes’ salary ($3.571 million AAV) for the next three seasons.

Going into the offseason, moving Hayes was going to be one of Brière’s top priorities. The Flyers are rebuilding, and it doesn’t make sense to give a 31-year-old forward a prominent role that could be allocated to a young player who will be part of the future foundation. Hayes’ lack of a fit in the rebuild, plus the apparent rift between him and Tortorella, contributed to the inevitability of a trade.

The bigger question hinged on what Brière could get back in exchange. He proved to not have overwhelming value on the market, as Brière collected a sixth-rounder next season while retaining half of Hayes’ cap hit.

» READ MORE: Which players could the Flyers trade? Here are some possibilities.

The Nashville Predators pulled off a similar transaction last week when they sent center Ryan Johansen, who turns 31 in July, to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for the signing rights to 29-year-old journeyman center Alex Galchenyuk. It was essentially a salary dump for the Predators, who still have to retain 50% of Johansen’s $8 million annual salary for the next two seasons.

Grade: D A sixth-round pick is an underwhelming return for Hayes, who despite not living up to his contract still brings value to a team. However, the Flyers had no choice but to trade him and were willing to pay the price to remove part of his contract from the books. It’s a disappointing outcome from a disappointing situation, especially seeing as Tortorella said in his introductory press conference that of all the Flyers he was most eager to meet with Hayes and to work with him.

“I want to try to help him, because if I can help him and make him understand that we’re going to try to get him to another level, what does he do for the Flyers organization up the middle of the ice?” Tortorella said on June 17, 2022. “I’ve watched him from afar. And there’s more there.”

If there’s more there, it’ll be for the St. Louis Blues to cultivate, not the Flyers.