From Manhattan standout to Winnipeg’s statistical spark, Kevin Hayes hangs up his skates after 805 games, leaving a legacy of perseverance and offensive consistency across the NHL.
On Tuesday, former Winnipeg Jets forward Kevin Hayes' NHL career has come to a close. Selected 24th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 draft, Hayes never actually suited up for Chicago.
Instead, he starred for four years at Boston College before signing with the New York Rangers as a free agent in 2014 after the Blackhawks failed to get him under contract before he finished his collegiate career.
Hayes spent the bulk of his career in New York, where the first five seasons of his career were with the Rangers, featuring in 361 regular-season contests in Manhattan. Midway through the 2018-19 season, Hayes was traded to the Winnipeg Jets, a stop that turned into the best statistical season of his career.
Hayes closed out that 2018-19 campaign between the two teams with 19 goals and 36 assists for 55 points in 71 games, a career year that came to define his time in a Jets uniform before he moved on in free agency.
He later moved on to several other NHL clubs before ending his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins for two seasons. Over 12 NHL seasons, Hayes leaves the league with 185 goals and 446 points in 805 career games. He was also a finalist for the 2021-22 Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.
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