Officially Off The Roster

The "Summer of Chevy" has officially started as he's been busy signing draft picks and keeping Laurent Brossoit in the fold with a new contract. Of course, fans in Winnipeg are still holding their collective breath as Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Jacob Trouba, and a number of other key free agents are still pending, but we scratch one of those names off the list as GM Kevin Cheveldayoff salvaged what he could for a guy that seemed unlikely to sign a fiscally-conservative deal in Winnipeg when bigger dollar signs are available in free agency. While his time here didn't work as well as planned after the Jets made a blockbuster deal to get him, Kevin Hayes is no longer in the plans, it seems, as his rights were moved today.

The Winnipeg Jets traded the right to negotiate with Kevin Hayes up to July 1 to the Philadelphia Flyers today for a fifth-round pick in 2019. The move officially cuts ties between Hayes and the Jets, but it re-unites Hayes with former New York Rangers and current Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault under whom Hayes found the greatest team success of his career thus far, but not so much in terms of offensive production which seemed to flourish under Vigneault's replacement in New York in David Quinn. With over $33 million in cap space to use, finding the money to sign Hayes shouldn't be a problem for the Flyers who can then explore all sorts of possibilities down the middle.

With Claude Giroux capable of playing all three forward positions, this may allow Hayes to center Giroux and Jakub Voracek on the Flyers' top line and use his offensive gifts that he's shown. If he slots in further down the roster, there are all sorts of possibilities of re-igniting the career of James van Riemsdyk, getting Nolan Patrick rolling on the wing, boosting the production of Travis Konecny, or pairing with other newly-minted free agents. While he was used in a high number of defensive situations in New York, the emergence of Sean Couturier as a reliable defensive center may allow Vigneault to take the leash off Hayes.

Whatever fans want to think of Hayes' time in Winnipeg, they should realize that he did make the team better. Yes, there were no Paul Stastny moments that fans will recall, but Hayes made the second line much better than what the Jets had skated with since January. While he didn't set the world on fire or propel Laine to hit 50 goals or get Ehlers to 90 points, Hayes was a solid producer who was defensively sound in his own zone. He won face-offs, he checked well, he had good vision in the offensive zone, and he was a solid addition to the power-play. For the Jets, they now have the same hole in the lineup they did in February, and there isn't an internal solution present at this time.

The fifth-round pick that Kevin Cheveldayoff salvaged for a player he was unlikely to sign is probably the best return he would have received in any situation. The fact that he got something for an asset that was likely walking in one month's time is better than getting nothing, so take what one can get in this situation.

If the Flyers can sign Hayes, they get much better. And they still have a ton of money to spend on improvements.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!