2022-23 Flyers Player Profile: Kevin Hayes

He’s an oversized personality who is Gritty’s best friend. He’s a hard working, grind it out sort of player that Flyers fans love. He’s also greatly overpaid.  Kevin Hayes is the second highest paid Flyer, just about a half mil under Sean Couturier.

Hayes was a big named free agent who came to Philly in 2019. He had previously played on the New York Rangers and the Winnipeg Jets. Coming to Philly was something of a homecoming for him as he was reunited with his former coach, Alain Vigneault. Vigneault wanted to sign him to a big deal and he got it: seven years and $50 million after trading a fifth round pick to acquire the negotiating rights to him. Vigneault had said if you want a big center in the NHL, you gotta pay him and that’s what the Flyers did.

Now, there was a lot of criticism with the deal because many experts felt that he hadn’t earned that kind of a payday yet. As a center, he wins less than 50% of his faceoffs. He can score, but he’s never going to be a dominant 30 goal scoring guy.  Now, they are different eras, but Hayes kind of reminds me of Joel Otto. He’s a big guy, can hit, can set up big plays, and is valuable to have on your team, but he’s never going to be a superstar. However, the Flyers are paying him like one.

In his first season in Philly, he exceeded expectations. He scored 23 goals in a COVID shortened season; two goals shy of his career high. Four of those were shorthanded goals. During the bubble playoffs, he scored four goals in 16 games with nine assists. He really connected with his linemates, James van Riemsdyk and Oskar Lindblom.

Following that season, the injuries started to mount up. He battled through a sports hernia injury and scored 12 goals in 55 games. This past season, he had to deal with the tragic death of his brother, Jimmy, as well as issues due to infections and prior surgeries. He only suited up for 48 games and had his worst statistic season.

When he has played, he has proven himself to be a high caliber player. It was obvious the team missed him this past season. With injuries to Couturier, Ryan Ellis, Carter Hart, Rasmus Ristolainen, Wade Allison, and others, Hayes was another body the team couldn’t replace. All of these injuries combined led to a dreadful season.

Now, John Tortorella is in charge. Hayes is his sort of guy. Hayes is going to grind it in the corners and fight for each possession. I can really see that Hayes is going to be one of Torts’ main go-to guys.  He is a wizard on the penalty kill, an area that really needs improving.

But, how healthy is Hayes? If he is back to form, I can see Hayes setting career highs in goals and points. He is someone who can thrive under Torts. If he is going to be attacked by the injury bug again, he is going to be a nonfactor this year. That’s something we can’t have.

I really feel that Couturier, Cam Atkinson, and Hayes are going to be Torts’s big three guys to lean on. This season will largely depend on how healthy they can all be.