June 19, 2023 | 10:19am ET
By Anthony Di Marco, TheFourthPeriod.com

FLYERS EXPLORING ALL OPTIONS WITH HAYES

Kevin Hayes, forward

As the off-season officially gets under way league-wide, the Philadelphia Flyers seem to be one of the more active teams. Setting the tone two weeks ago by trading Ivan Provorov in a three-team deal, the Flyers don’t seem done just yet in reshaping their organization – on and off the ice.

Forward Kevin Hayes has been rumored on the trade block going back to January and the Flyers are still looking at ways of moving him.

Hayes, 31, signed a seven-year, $50 million contract with the Flyers in 2019 when the team was trying to contend in the final years of the Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek era. Embarking on a rebuild over the course of last season, Hayes butt heads with Head Coach John Tortorella; Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli described the relationship between the two as “fractured” this past Friday on “Daily Faceoff Live.”

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman connected Hayes to the Columbus Blue Jackets following the Trade Deadline. I was told last week that the Flyers spoke with the Jackets following the season but shelved talks in mid-May to work on the Provorov deal. The two sides had left discussions at what a retention number would look like, with the Flyers set to revisit talks once the Provorov deal was completed.

As Friedman noted a few days ago, there is a sense the Jackets may no longer have interest in Hayes. As I mentioned on “Stick 2 Hockey Live” with Jason Myrtetus last Wednesday, the Jackets have recently added $11 million of AAV to their salary cap with the additions of Provorov and Damon Severson. With less than $6 million in cap space and the team looking for a top-line pivot, it doesn’t seem like they have the cap space to bring in Hayes – even with salary retention.

I’ve heard going back to April that the Flyers would prefer to retain no more than $2.1 million, making Hayes a $5 million forward. In a non-flat salary cap world, this would be fair, as Hayes has averaged 50 points per 82 games played since the beginning of his contract. A 50 point per 82 game centre who can play any situation should be digestible at $5 million (especially given the free agent class) but the flat salary cap has made things more complicated.

Back in the winter, a General Manager told me there would be a market for Hayes as long as there was retained money, while another GM mentioned the sweet spot on retention would be between $2 million and $3 million. This, of course, was when it was believed there would be a rising salary cap.

With the cap only rising by $1 million, it has changed the market for Hayes. Asking around the league, I got two interesting responses when it comes to Hayes from two GMs.

One still believed that, with the proper amount retained, there is a market for him given the scarcity of available centres this summer. The other was that the Flyers would need to retain 50% on Hayes, though he is “not sure he’s even worth it.”

The market has been “slim pickings,” as one person said to me, in regard to Hayes, but also mentioned that “everything is on the table.” As Seravalli noted, “Hayes is not long” for Philadelphia. So, what’s the solution?

While it doesn’t seem like a plan B, C or D, the Flyers will consider a buyout for Hayes if all else fails. A buyout would be hefty for the Flyers, as it would see Hayes count against the cap for six seasons. The AAV would be $2.25 million this season, $4.75 million in the following two years, and $1.61 million in each of the final three. It certainly isn’t ideal, but it is something that is definitely on the table as a nuclear option.

Now, just because the market isn’t there for Hayes at this moment doesn’t mean that won’t change as we get deeper into the summer. I have heard there is one other team the Flyers have spoken to about Hayes, but that club is exploring all of its options. Asking around, it appears Hayes is viewed as a “back up” plan for this specific team, who will likely gain more clarity in the coming weeks.

Teams will likely circle back on Hayes following the Draft and Free Agency, but it does seem like Hayes will be playing somewhere else, one way or another, come September.

Carter Hart

On the day of the Provorov deal, both TFP’s David Pagnotta and myself reported that the Flyers were “working” on a deal involving goaltender Carter Hart. While the Flyers have been engaged in serious discussions, there was a sense that there was something holding any talks from officially pushing a deal over the finish line.

As Seravalli reported last week, there have been some questions about the Hockey Canada investigation and whether or not Hart has any ties to it and that “nobody wants to go crazy trading for a player and potentially have that player sit out.” I can’t speak to any potential involvement of Hart and the Hockey Canada investigation, but Seravalli’s report does line up with a lot of other things that have been talked about as to what could be holding up a deal.

I mentioned at the time of the Provorov deal that there was an expectation from Cal Peterson’s camp that he would be getting a fair shot in camp. Given Samuel Ersson and Felix Sandstrom being under contract, Hart being present in any capacity would suggest Peterson wouldn’t really have a fair chance to stick in the NHL due to strictly a number’s game. A trade was the logical reasoning behind this but, if Seravalli’s reporting is accurate, maybe there could be another reason?

Peterson’s acquisition was described as a “safety valve” for the Flyers, so take that for what it’s worth.

Laughton, Konecny, DeAngelo

There has been a ton of smoke surrounding forwards Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny over the last week or so.

Laughton has generated interest from several teams, with the Ottawa Senators believed to be among the more interested, according to Pagnotta. I was told the Flyers have already turned down late first-round picks for him, as they’re trying to drive up the price as the NHL Draft approaches. I do believe the Flyers have gotten offers that have intrigued them but are still looking to see if there is anything more they can squeeze.

In the case of Konecny, the Edmonton Oilers are among the teams who have reached out, with defenseman Philip Broberg’s name being a part of a potential return. I don’t believe the Flyers have gotten any offer they’d seriously consider for Konecny, at this point.

I get the sense the Flyers have told teams they will hang on to both guys until at least the Draft, as a way to start a bidding war. It’s well documented at this point, but the Flyers like both players and are very comfortable keeping them around through a rebuild. Both are good locker room guys and under the good graces of Tortorella, while Konecny is the team’s best forward.

In the case of defenseman Tony DeAngelo, the Flyers are looking at ways to move him, but things have been quiet thus far. I’d imagine a DeAngelo move will also be around the Draft, much like when he was dealt to the Flyers last summer. With one-year remaining on his contract that pays him $5 million, the Flyers may need to eat some money to make him more enticing.

While the return may not be phenomenal, I do suspect the Flyers will ultimately find a landing spot for DeAngelo, as the market for right-handed defenseman is always shallow and with just the one year commitment.