Confirmed Trade: [PIT/STL] Kevin Hayes and 2025 2nd round pick for future considerations

[Reality Czech]

Feels like a full blown rebuild move. Next year we’ll be selling cap space for draft picks.

Maybe the Pens believe they can revitalize Hayes. He was good on the Rangers but that was eons ago.

It depends on whose place he takes.

So many of the comments from Pens fans echo sentiments that Blues fans had last summer.

Honestly I don't think he was that bad for the Blues last year overall. Yes, he went through streaks where he didn't really do much but he's still a reliable center that can make a play every once in awhile. At his full salary, he'd be one of the worst contracts in the league but at $3.5 it doesn't sting as much.

I feel like Hayes has always been a bit of a weird player. Where the metrics don't necessarily describe him all that accurately. He plays such a strange game...it's tough to even define. He's not a real shutdown player, and doesn't play with a ton of pace, but positionally...he's very solid. He's also not really a "playmaker" but he distributes the puck alright. Not really a "goal scorer" but he scores alright. He's just a sort of weird...puck carrier.

Had some down years where his effort level was pretty bogus. But overall, i've never really thought of his as a poor defensive player. He clearly understands how to play responsible defence.

Would totally agree with this.

 

[SomeDude]

The head coach personally negotiated his own extension straight with the owner. Owners also deferred to Mike Sullivan for how he wants the team run including the affiliate and the style he wants to employ.

Dubas likely, and it's clear really, took the role because he wants that title so he can get that title elsewhere later on. Normal in any employment. I don't think he has zero power but Sullivan is definitely running the player personnel show. David Quinn is most definitely a Sullivan hire as well.

Sully was also involved in the GM search to hire Dubas. This is Sully’s team and organization. We are all just unfortunately along for the mediocre ride.

 

[JKG33]

Normally I'm all for shitting on Dubas, but this... isn't that bad? Hayes was already half retained by Philly. And Dubas actually got a draft pick out of it which is something I thought he was allergic to

 

[bluemangroupie]

Hayes made Maroon look like McDavid. I don't know how someone so tall, can be so slow. He was a defence liability whenever he played last year. At this point he is a faceoff specialist.

 

[Turin]

Hayes made Maroon look like McDavid. I don't know how someone so tall, can be so slow. He was a defence liability whenever he played last year. At this point he is a faceoff specialist.

This is where the disconnect is with the eye test with Hayes. Like the public stats seem to suggest that he was much better defensively last year than he was in Philly.

 

[Smif]

2nd Rd pick is worth it imo.

 

[Maurice of Orange]

Pittsburgh will end up either buying out Hayes contract before it ends or have him stay on LTIR the next time Hayes gets injured.

Hayes can barely skate anymore, he is just a faceoff guy or a pylon clearing the net on the Pk nothing else.

 

[Curufinwe]

Hayes made Maroon look like McDavid. I don't know how someone so tall, can be so slow. He was a defence liability whenever he played last year. At this point he is a faceoff specialist.

Hasn’t been the same since he got abdominal injuries in 21-22.

 

[biturbo19]

Hayes made Maroon look like McDavid. I don't know how someone so tall, can be so slow. He was a defence liability whenever he played last year. At this point he is a faceoff specialist.

I feel like Hayes gets called "slow" so much, but it isn't even entirely true. He's one of those oddballs who is faster than he is quick. He's not a burner by any means, but he covers a lot of ice. He's just...noticeably not "quick" or super "agile". Takes him a lot longer to get up to speed - which is probably a big part of why he plays such a weird looping, loping, circular sort of game.

People always call these quick little guys "fast" and it's not really accurate either. A lot of them are simply quick, but can't actually cover enough ice to be "fast". Hayes is kind of the opposite.

 

[NotTheRocketman]

Thank you Pens!

 

[STLegend]

And while Hayes sucks, he's much better than Acciari.

Uh no he's not...

 

[NotTheRocketman]

That is an idiotic decision by the Blues. Why in the world would you pay an early second to dump a guy when you are gonna suck the next two years anyway? This is so dumb.

Clearly Army doesn't think the Blues will be bad for much longer. And Hayes skated like he was towing anchors behind him, he was awful. This opens his spot up for someone else.

 

[NotTheRocketman]

I'm so confused. In this center-starved market, the Blues had to pay to unload a very capable middle-6 Center? He doesn't even have that whole horrendous contract anymore. He's far more reasonably priced.


This feels like a huge win for the Penguin. They get a good player and a good pick...for...nothing but a little cap space? That's solid.

Hayes was a dumpster fire last year. The Blues were better with him out of the lineup entirely, and that was with him centering the third, sometimes fourth line.
Hayes stopped being a capable middle-6 guy years ago.

 

[Turin]

Pittsburgh will end up either buying out Hayes contract before it ends or have him stay on LTIR the next time Hayes gets injured.

Hayes can barely skate anymore, he is just a faceoff guy or a pylon clearing the net on the Pk nothing else.

That's exactly Big Jeff Carters role so checks out.

 

[Voight]

Penguins are gonna buy him out just to screw with Flyers cap

4D Chess

 

[blackjackmulligan]

He put up 54 points 22/23 season on bad Flyers team while clashing with the coach. Bad year last year. Can see him turning it around back to a 40 point guy who is solid. Low risk for the Pens to acquire a 2nd.

 

[Ryder71]

That is an idiotic decision by the Blues. Why in the world would you pay an early second to dump a guy when you are gonna suck the next two years anyway? This is so dumb.

I like it quite a bit TBTH.

I thought this whole time it said Pens t traded a 2nd for him, not Pens get a 2nd to take him. Pretty obvious we arent trying to compete anymore.

We really weren't competing for a couple years now if you look at it closely. Might as well get an asset for our troubles.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Hayes is a weird player.. his defensive metrics are abysmal the last few years except for last year, where all of a sudden he looks more like the Kevin Hayes of yesteryear. If the Pens get that player - then big win both for today and tomorrow.

This is yet another situation in which analytics don’t tell the full story.

Hayes is quite possibly the slowest player in the NHL and probably had the most breakaways on the Blues. He doesn’t really play defense as a center. His body is big enough that he can get in the way, but it’s not like you’re intentionally wanting him marching up with middle 6ers. He also plays a very odd style in the offensive zone

 

[Pengu]

It's fine for the pens but there are many poor contracts on the pens now. At least they're short term

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Sully was also involved in the GM search to hire Dubas. This is Sully’s team and organization. We are all just unfortunately along for the mediocre ride.

It's funny that blokes don't get this. They think we joke but it's something that even Friedman mentioned once about the heavy influence Sullivan has is well known around the league for the Pens.

It's why, while I joke about it, I think at some point they'll make Sullivan the GM instead of firing him. To say this franchise is f***ed is an understatement.

 

[MCR74]

Why is Dubas acquiring a 7M 30 point player who's best days are well behind him?

Because it's Kyle Dubas.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

How many more declining players in their 30’s? Should be alright on their 3rd line.

 

[Turin]

Because it's Kyle Dubas.

When your hate chub is so stiff it blocks your eyes from seeing that Hayes makes 3.25 mil per and that the Pens wanted the 2nd round pick stapled to him

 

[MCR74]

When your hate chub is so stiff it blocks your eyes from seeing that Hayes makes 3.25 mil per and that the Pens wanted the 2nd round pick stapled to him

You may have a problem.

 

[66-30-33]

I like it quite a bit TBTH.


We really weren't competing for a couple years now if you look at it closely. Might as well get an asset for our troubles.

We were or we would not have got Karlsson. But we are t anymore, miss 2 years in a row so the white flag has been thrown.