Blue Line Station
Fansided

New York Rangers: Five potential trade destinations for Kevin Hayes

By Peter Reichert

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 03: New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes (13) skates during the second period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 3, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 03: New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes (13) skates during the second period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 3, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 08: Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle (3) heads up ice with Florida Panthers center Vincent Trocheck (21) during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers on April 8, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Panthers defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 08: Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle (3) heads up ice with Florida Panthers center Vincent Trocheck (21) during a game between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers on April 8, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Panthers defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are another team who may be interested in the services of Kevin Hayes. Their top two centers of Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trochek are set, with top prospect Henrik Borgstrom set to make the full time jump to the NHL. 

However, if Borgstrom isn’t ready, Hayes could slot into the third line center role nicely. He’d fit in as a shutdown center with offensive prowess. Even if Borgstrom does prove to be ready, Hayes could be moved to the wing, where he has experience playing. 

Florida has some nice pieces to offer, including picks and prospects. While a prospect like Owen Tippett is most likely off limits, somebody like Aleksi Heponiemi or Adam Mascherin could be in play. 

If Florida is willing to part with prospects and/or picks for Hayes, Jeff Gorton would be wise to field an offer. Florida could use another center/winger who is defensively responsible and provides some scoring punch: Kevin Hayes most definitely fits that bill. 

Home/Editorials