On Monday, June 3, 2019, the Flyers traded for the rights for Kevin Hayes, a center who is on an expiring contract. The Flyers gave up a 5th round pick in this year’s NHL entry draft. This move was made so that the Flyers had some extra time to talk with and negotiate with Hayes, who is set to become a free agent if a deal isn’t made.
No longer in “Rebuild Mode”
This is an aggressive move made by the Flyers GM, after he said multiple times he was going to be exactly like this. This is a very good move for the Flyers, granted he signs, and I think he will. In New York, Hayes played under Alain Vigneault, where he had above average years. He is coming off a 55 point season, where he was able to compete for a chance at the Cup with Winnipeg after he was traded there late last season.
Hayes is a big boy, listed at 6’5 216 pounds, he instantly makes this team a little bit better. If I’m the Flyers, I put him as the second center and move Patrick back to the third line. I do believe Patrick will be an impact player but he just hasn’t made the jump from good to elite yet. We have seen flashes over it over the last two years but I think him matching up against other teams third lines will allow him to excel and come into himself.
This allows you to keep Coots as the first line center, and keep Giroux on the wing, where he has shown he can still play at an elite level. I’m hoping and assuming that Chuck isn’t done, and that he has a few more moves up his sleeve. I wouldn’t be opposed to them trading the 11th pick either, as it could be a small piece in a large trade that could send a top defensemen to Philly. This team was very good on paper last year, but didn’t succeed very well when it came down to putting the actual product on the ice.
The Flyers have a stacked prospect pool, with plenty of picks still available, and I think Chuck will use what Hextall built to make this team better now. Whether he goes after big free agent names like Panarin is yet to be seen, but getting the second best center out there was a very good first move. It’s going to be very interesting to see how things play out with Chuck at the wheel, but if he going to be making moves like the one he made last night, boy am I excited.
It’s odd seeing a GM make moves besides trading AHL level players and gaining assets all summer long, I am looking forward to this offseason as the Flyers try to move from a stagnant neutral team, to a potential playoff contender.
