Injuries have been piling up for the Pittsburgh Penguins like crazy, and on Saturday, they were finally able to get someone back off injured reserve.
33-year-old center Kevin Hayes had been out since the middle of training camp with an upper-body injury, and he made his 2025-26 season debut against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Hayes registered 13 goals and 23 points in 64 games for the Penguins last season.
And his return is coming at a really good time for the Penguins, who are plagued by injuries - especially on the forward front. Rickard Rakell, Justin Brazeau, Noel Acciari, Filip Hallander, and Rutger McGroarty are all on injured reserve, and three of those players in Rakell, Acciari, and Hallander have played center with the Penguins at some point.
With limited options in the top-six now, too - Rakell, Brazeau, Hallander, and McGroarty have all played in the Penguins' top-six - Pittsburgh has been forced to put rookie Ben Kindel, who has been centering the team's third line for most of the season, next to Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust in the top-six.
Having Hayes back in the mix gives them some much-needed insurance depth at the center position, as he can center the third or fourth line. He may not be the fastest of skaters, but his hockey smarts, playmaking skills, and puck skills should serve the Penguins well in that role.
Hayes was acquired - along with a 2026 second-round pick - from the St. Louis Blues in the summer of 2024 in exchange for future considerations. The 12-year NHL veteran is in the final season of a seven-year, $7.1 million contract, and the Philadelphia Flyers - who Hayes spent four season with from 2019-23 - are retaining half his salary.
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