It has certainly been a season to forget for Kevin Hayes. Limited to only 20 games this season, the Flyers forward will potentially miss the next three to four weeks after undergoing a procedure to drain fluid from his adductor region.
Hayes has had to battle through numerous things to stay on the ice. After needing a second abdominal surgery before training camp, he missed the first 12 games of the season before making his season debut on November 13th. Hayes played in that game and the next one before a re-injury forced him out of the lineup for the next six games. He remained in the lineup for the next month and a half, but clearly wasn’t right.
"“It’s not easy playing through pain and discomfort and what not. I think this was more, I would say almost a doctor’s call that something needed to be done.” Mike Yeo said before Tuesday’s game.“Just for him to try and get back and healthy, I think he was trying to battle through some things and he’s gonna miss some time. And hopefully when he comes back, he feels a little bit better and relieved a little bit. Commend him for playing through what he has and what he’s gone through. Unbelievable teammate and guy.” Scott Laughton mentioned before the game."
This knocks an already fragile Flyers center depth down another notch. The team is already without Sean Couturier, Derick Brassard, Nate Thompson, and Patrick Brown. It will force other players to step up, Laughton included in that.
For now, players like Morgan Frost and Connor Bunnaman will see elevated roles. The former will have an opportunity to center the team’s third line, starting with the game against the Islanders. Bunnaman, who has played six games this season and 45 career games overall, will get a longer look until the Flyers can get any one of their other centers back.
There is some hope that Hayes may not need the full three to four week recovery period. There are only two weeks until the league’s scheduled pause that was going to be used for the Olympic break. As of right now, that break is still scheduled to happen but will likely be filled with some of the previously rescheduled games. The All Star game is also set for February 5th.
So after the Flyers take on Winnipeg on February 1st, they aren’t scheduled to play again until February 23rd. That may likely change as they have a few postponed games to make up as well. But with the way things stand right there, there isn’t a need to rush Hayes back any time soon. With everything he has gone through, giving him a similar treatment to Couturier may help him in the long run.