The New York Rangers are ruining Kevin Hayes career

The New York Rangers have shown a glaring hole up the middle with their lack of centers. However, it is not just their lack of centers that is hurting them- it’s their usage as well.

The New York Rangers are ruining Kevin Hayes’ career. The 25-year-old center has only been in the NHL since 2014, but the Rangers have messed with him far too much. Much of the blame can be placed on head coach Alain Vigneault, but Hayes has had his own issues to work out.

In 234 regular season games through last season, Hayes has scored 48 goals and added 82 assists for 130 points. His point totals aren’t bad for a fourth year player, but Hayes has yet to get comfortable in a single role. He’s been used as a shutdown center for the bulk of the last two seasons, and it’s become increasingly clear that Hayes is not a shutdown center.

Long pattern

The Rangers and Vigneault have shown a long pattern of misusing Hayes. It’s apparent now more than ever that his career may be in jeopardy if he cannot get comfortable. From his deployment to early career hiccups, Hayes has been handled disastrously by management.

In Hayes’ second season with the Rangers, he topped out at 14 goals and 22 assists, a major step back from his rookie season. In his rookie season, Hayes scored 17 goals and added 28 assists. His usage in his rookie season was to his advantage, where he played on a playmaker’s line and was able to get creative.

Vigneault shoved Hayes into the dog house in just his second year with the Rangers, forcing Hayes to make adjustments to his game. He lost 15 pounds coming into his third year on Broadway, yet Vigneault still wouldn’t use him properly.

Hayes came back that season, scoring 17 goals and adding 32 assists for a career-high 49 points. It wasn’t bad for a player coming off a massive sophomore slump, but he was still playing shutdown minutes.

Continuing trend

Hayes has had a sluggish start, registering just a single point in the first four games of the season. Hayes is once again being misused by Vigneault, however.

Deployed primarily on the third line, Hayes has had Michael Grabner as a linemate for a majority of the first six games. In the preseason, Hayes seemed to click with fellow Bostonian Jimmy Vesey, but Vigneault separated the two. J.T. Miller was a commonplace on the line until the Filip Chytil experiment didn’t work out and Miller was bumped up to a sheltered role at second center.

The problem with Vigneault’s deployment is Grabner’s new role on the third line. Grabner, while fast and a high producing goal scorer last season, is a defensive forward who just happens to be fast. Hayes is not suited for a defensive role- he’s a playmaker. He needs to be in offensive situations where he can consistently be in the offensive zone and shooting.

What should they do now?

So what’s the call here? If the Rangers don’t want to ruin Hayes’ career, they have two options. The first option is to change the scenery around Hayes. Give him a line with Vesey and Miller on the wings like we saw in the preseason. Let Hayes fly his flag and run an offensive show.

The second option is less enticing. Hayes is signed to a bridge deal and the Rangers would love to re-sign him this offseason. However, if he’s being misused, why even try to re-sign him? The Rangers should move Kevin Hayes if they don’t anticipate on giving him the proper usage he deserves. He is being held hostage by a roster that won’t let him do his best work.

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Kevin Hayes career is far from over. He has a great hockey IQ and a lot of gas in the tank. He can score, shoot and clock power play minutes. It’s all in jeopardy if the Rangers don’t start using him properly.

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