THN.com/free. Kevin Hayes [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4ODk5OTE2OTU1NzIzMTE1/usatsi_20176825.jpg] Kevin Hayes The Philadelphia Flyers were the latest team to get in on the NHL draft week action on Tuesday, sending forward Kevin Hayes to the St. Louis Blues [https://twitter.com/NHLFlyers/status/1673742079334203392?s=20] in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft. As per the terms of the trade, the Flyers have agreed to retain 50 percent of Hayes' $7,142,857 annual cap hit, which runs through the 2025-26 season. This news must come as a relief for Hayes, who was rumored to be heading to St. Louis in a much bigger deal earlier last week that fell apart due to one player exercising their contractual trade protection. After developing a reportedly frosty relationship with Flyers coach John Tortorella, which saw Hayes sit as a healthy scratch at one point last season despite being selected to the All-Star Game, the 31-year-old now gets a fresh start on a Blues club that is looking to retool following a disappointing campaign. At half salary, Hayes will be a valuable addition to St. Louis' forward corps. The hulking center still put forth a productive season in 2022-23 despite the chaos unfolding around him, racking up 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points in 81 games while logging nearly 18 minutes per night in average ice time. If deployed in a middle-six role, Hayes will add needed depth to the Blues' crop of centers that recently lost Ryan O'Reilly. As for the Flyers, new GM Danny Briere continues to shuffle his roster in an attempt to mop up the mess left by his predecessor. With Hayes officially off the books, the Flyers now have roughly $10.4 million in cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/philadelphia-flyers] on their hands to use as free agency opens on Friday, according to PuckPedia. Given how aggressive Briere has been thus far, that number may continue to grow in the coming days.
