Kevin Hayes will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Will the New York Rangers try to re-sign him or will they trade him at the deadline? A lot depends on how much he wants to get paid. How much is he worth?
Should I stay or should I go? Kevin Hayes must be listening to the Clash a lot these days. He is still only 26 and will be a free agent unless he signs a contract with the Rangers before this summer. He came into this season as a restricted free agent and signed a one year deal for $5.175 million after failing to come to terms on a longer term. It was reported that he was seeking a five year deal at about $5.5 million. As of January 1, the Rangers can extend his contract. If they don’t he will likely be dealt at the trade deadline as one of the top forwards available.
When it comes to the fans, it’s pretty much a 50-50 split. He was the best Ranger in both games in Florida. When Hayes plays the way he is capable, he is a dominant two-way center who has the size to control the puck like Jaromir Jagr, soft hands that can make the brilliant pass and an outstanding shot that he doesn’t use nearly enough. As a free agent signee, Hayes has gone a long way towards making up for all of those draft picks the Rangers traded away.
His detractors say that Hayes is a borderline second line center who would be third line on a good team. Although posting a career high 25 goals last season, he never had more than 17 the previous three seasons. Renowned for his passing, Hayes’ top year for assists was just 32 in 2016-17. While the lack of a finisher may be the reason for his career assist totals, those numbers are just okay.
Over the last two seasons, he has become a much better defensive forward and has seen a lot of ice time on the penalty kill. He has also improved immensely in the faceoff circle. In his first three seasons his winning percentage was below 40%. He is now good to win about 50% of his draws.
He hasn’t been a stellar playoff performer. In 34 games he has two goals and eight assists and the last two playoff years for the Rangers, he was a non-factor.
It’s easy to see why there is a debate over whether he should be retained. If he is looking for a $5.5 million salary on a long term, he will impact the salary cap for years and the team will have to make a decision about protecting him in the expansion draft in two years. It’s worth taking a deeper look into how Hayes compares to some other NHLers with the pedigree.