New York Rangers: Why Kevin Hayes Will Have a Big Year

Looking back at last season, the highlights and downfalls of every player can be seen from game to game. One of the greatest things to come out of the New York Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Final last April was the appearance of forward Kevin Hayes.

Hayes made a lot of noise last year, stunning the hockey world for a little bit in the process. He is nothing short of dominant in his game on both sides of the puck and has a chance to leave an even bigger footprint in the 2015-16 season.

Ultimately, all a team wants to do is to win a championship. And in order to do that you’re going to need a lot of small pieces to make up the bigger puzzle. Kevin Hayes is an integral part of that puzzle. Coming into his sophomore season in the NHL, Hayes is bound to have another good year.

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While playing in 79 games last year, Hayes had 17 goals with 45 points and a plus/minus of +15, which are good numbers for a second line center, which also isn’t his natural position.

A common trend seems to be that players entering their second season tend to have a bigger and better outcome than the previous year. Players feel comfortable around the same players and feel a connection to them more so than when they first got to the team. Although this isn’t the same for all NHLers, I think Hayes is one of them.

The way he played last year, my guess is that Hayes ends up playing all 82 games this season, reaching at least 22 goals along with 50 points.

After a 45 point rookie season last year, Kevin Hayes definitely made a statement with his play. But his sophomore season can really be his chance at setting the bar just that much higher.

Look at Chris Kreider, for example. His first taste of NHL experience was during the 2012 playoffs. Kreider made a massive mark on the Rangers lineup, and left fans with hope that this guy could become a powerhouse. The following season, that wasn’t the case. Kreider had a mediocre performance and I thought he was a dud for sure. But, the Rangers kept with him and it seems that the Rangers’ roster would be missing a whole lot without him.

If Hayes can make that statement in 2016, his job will become that much easier for years to come. Hayes won’t be playing center this year either, he’ll be going back to his natural right wing. If you were surprised with the way Hayes played at center, I think your socks are going to be blown off with his play on the wing.

As much as I’d like to know the future of this New York Rangers team, it’s impossible to know what every player will do and how good he’ll be. But what can be determined is that Kevin Hayes is a dominant hockey player, and he demonstrates who a “New York Ranger” is perfectly.

Hayes possesses the scoring talent, but also gets into the dirty areas to win the puck back. The upcoming NHL season is rapidly approaching (although not fast enough) and Hayes, as well as the rest of the Rangers, need to play nothing short of their best hockey if they want to ultimately win the Stanley Cup. Just keep this in your mind and everything will be okay; 15 days until preseason.

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