Unlike in St. Louis, Can Kevin Hayes Find His Role with Pittsburgh Penguins?

Only two years ago, veteran center Kevin Hayes posted 36 assists and 54 points in 81 games. They were his best totals since the 2018-19 season when he had 55 points.

That season, he played in the NHL All-Star Game, and he was a key cog for the Philadelphia Flyers. However, after he was traded to the St. Louis Blues in June 2023, Hayes saw his value plummet, and his individual numbers dropped to only 13 goals and 29 points in 79 games. 

It was no wonder, then, that the Blues had to attach a second-round draft pick in a trade to make Hayes’ $3.57-million salary cap hit palatable to another team (the Flyers retained half of his $7.143-million cap hit).

"I felt like last year, I couldn't really find a role in St. Louis and didn't play my best hockey," Hayes told reporters on a Zoom press conference on Tuesday. "Eager to get this season started to kind of show I can still play in this league and be part of a winning team."

That said, the team that did take the 32-year-old off the Blues’ hands, the Pittsburgh Penguins, have an acute need for veteran help amid their bottom-six group of forwards. 

Landing Hayes was one of the bigger moves the Pens have made in this current off-season. If he can get his numbers back to where they were in 2022-23 and help Pittsburgh break a two-year playoff drought, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas will be delighted.

Hayes could start next season on Pittsburgh’s third line with some combination of Anthony Beauvillier, Blake Lizzote, Valtteri Puustinen or Noel Acciari – not exactly an intimidating group of players. But Dubas has been limited by cap constraints in terms of what he can do. 

While Hayes is a gamble with a notable downside, the Penguins clearly believe there’s still enough in his competitive tank to justify acquiring him.

The fact that Hayes is returning to the Metropolitan Division – the place where he’s spent nine of his 10 NHL seasons – is another positive from Dubas’ perspective. And a more clearly defined role for him should allow Hayes to focus on what’s needed from him. He doesn’t have to set the NHL on fire on offense, but if Hayes can chip in a goal here or there and play conscientious defense, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan will feel very comfortable using him as an important depth player.

The potential bad news for Pittsburgh is that Hayes has another season after the 2024-25 campaign – and if he can’t get back to where he was with the Flyers two years ago, no team will step up and trade for him next year. Indeed, by this time next summer, if the experiment doesn’t work out, Hayes might just be bought out of the final season of his current contract. But he’s got this coming season to figure out what’s been affecting him, and that should give Pens fans a sliver of hope he can right the ship and become an important piece of the puzzle for Pittsburgh.

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