February 20, 2023 | 6:17pm ET
By Anthony Di Marco, TheFourthPeriod.com
SHRINKING CENTRE MARKET COULD SHIFT FOCUS TO HAYES
Kevin Hayes, forward
Arguably more than ever before, this year’s NHL trade deadline season has highlighted a ton of options down the middle. Names like Bo Horvat, Ryan O’Reilly and Jonathan Toews showcased the group, all presenting attractive options for teams looking to bolster their centre ice position.
Less than two weeks out from the deadline, the options are now few and far between.
Horvat was moved to the New York Islanders a few weeks back, subsequently signing an eight-year extension. O’Reilly (and Noel Acciari) were acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs over the weekend. On Sunday, news broke that Toews will not be traded due to Long Covid and in need of more time to recover. Even Montreal Canadiens centre Sean Monahan, whom teams like Colorado and Seattle have eyed, is still on Injured Reserve.
With the options dwindling day by day for teams looking to add a centre, clubs may need to get creative in their searches. There are some solid depth options, such as Chicago Blackhawks pivots Max Domi and Sam Lafferty, along with Anaheim Ducks centre Adam Henrique.
As I reported back in January, the Flyers are open to moving Kevin Hayes. Checking in on this Sunday, tht hasn’t changed. The interest in the 30-year-old centre-turned-left wing has been moderate to this point, but with the market drying up, teams may come calling.
Hayes, who signed with the Flyers in 2019, is having a career year with 17 goals and 47 points through 56 games this season. As mentioned, he has predominantly been playing on the wing this season under Head Coach John Tortorella but has been a centre his entire career.
The hiccup with Hayes is his contract; he has three years remaining on his deal with an AAV of $7.14 million and a 12-team no-trade list. The Flyers are willing to retain money on Hayes’ contract – I’ve been told by league sources that they’d likely have to eat $2 million to $3 million – but would have to be appropriately compensated to do so.
I get the sense the Flyers expect teams to explore other options before taking a big swing at Hayes. While there is interest in the player, the contract is still posing a problem. With so many teams operating in LTIR and the salary cap projected to increase by just $1 million (yet again) this summer, the teams willing to acquire players with term in season are limited.
Still, you have to wonder if teams take a run at Hayes before 3pm ET on March 3 if all other options are exhausted.
Two teams in the market for an upgrade at centre are the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes.
The Avalanche saw Nazem Kadri walk in free agency last summer and decided to replace him in house with JT Compher down the middle. While Compher has done admirably this season, he has not performed at the level of Kadri, who had a career year. The problem is the Avalanche are operating in LTIR with $6.17 million in cap space and awaiting the return of captain Gabriel Landeskog and his $7 million cap hit. Nathan MacKinnons’s new contract kicks in next year, as well, which will see his AAV double to $12.6 million; adding Hayes’ contract, even with retained salary, may not be digestible for General Manager Chris MacFarland.
The Hurricanes are a far more plausible destination given their newly found cap space due to the injury to Max Pacioretty, who will miss the remainder of the season. With Pacioretty and his $7 million on LTIR, Canes General Manager Don Waddell has $10.1 million to play with over the next 11 days.
The Hurricanes need an upgrade at 2C. After seeing Vincent Trotchek left last year, the team hoped Jesperi Kotkaniemi would take that next step – that has not happened. Free Agent signing Paul Stastny was supposed to be a stop gap but isn’t a feasible option for the playoffs. Captain Jordan Staal, while very good in his role, is best served for third line duties at this juncture.
Of course, bringing in Hayes would come with a three-year commitment beyond this year. The Hurricanes project to have a little less than $30 million in cap space this summer, so assuming they are willing to commit to Hayes long term, it could be an option, especially if the Flyers eat some money. Hayes would also have to not have the Hurricanes listed on his NTC.
Above all else, the two sides would have to decide on appropriate compensation going the Flyers’ way if they were going to eat, say, $2.5 million. Hayes at a $4.6 million AAV would be very attractive; the Flyers would not be wanting to give him away at that point and would certainly be looking for decent value in return.
If I were a betting man, a Hayes deal is far more likely in the summer because of the financial restrictions across the league and the rarity of players with term being moved in season. But given the centre ice options becoming ever scarcer, I wouldn’t completely rule out a Hayes move if a playoff team is desperate enough for an upgrade down the middle.
