Kevin Hayes (ice hockey)

Hayes got his start playing for the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, representing South Shore in 2004 and 2005. He has said of the experience, "I thought it was just another fun tournament — you go to Canada with your family and play a lot of hockey, and go play in the snow and stuff."[7] Hayes' South Shore teammates included future NHL players Noel Acciari and Charlie Coyle.[7] He went on to play high school hockey at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts, scoring 67 points across 28 games in the 2009–10 season,[8] and was selected to participate in the 2010 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp.[9] Hayes was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, 24th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but chose to attend Boston College, which had recruited his older brother Jimmy a few years prior.[10]

After scoring one goal and two assists in an exhibition game against the University of Toronto,[11] Hayes recorded his first NCAA goal on October 15, 2010 in a 6–2 win against Denver.[12] He sat out the second half of the 2010–11 season due to a posterior cruciate ligament injury,[13] and finished with 14 points in 31 games.[14] Hayes returned to the Eagles for a modest but successful 2011–12 season. He made an assist against the Air Force in the Northeast Regional Semifinals of the 2012 NCAA Tournament,[15] and scored a goal against Minnesota in the National Semifinals.[16] Boston College would go on to win the NCAA Tournament,[17] and Hayes finished the season with 28 points.[14]

Despite recording six goals and 19 assists, Hayes had a beleaguered 2012–13. After recording 24 points with the Eagles, he received a suspension for a violation of team rules. Eagles head coach said the duration of the suspension would depend on how Hayes responded.[18] Then, in a February 26, 2013 match against UMass Lowell, Hayes received an injury to the leg and lost consciousness in the locker room.[19] He was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with compartment syndrome.[10] He received four emergency surgeries on his left quadriceps femoris muscle and was in the hospital for 22 days.[20] Hayes was told that his condition had been two hours from amputation,[20] and there was doubt whether he would be able to return to hockey.[10]

When he was allowed to return to play, Hayes' experience with compartment syndrome changed his outlook on hockey, telling the Boston Herald, "I think I always knew how important the game was to me, but I think I had to somewhat grow up a bit and take my body serious, take my school serious, take my strength and conditioning serious, and just a mixture of those three kind of allowed me to be the player I am today."[21] Hayes returned his senior year on the Eagles' top line with Bill Arnold and Johnny Gaudreau, scoring 65 points (27 goals and 38 assists) in the 2013–14 NCAA season, and ending the season with 1.62 points per game, the second-highest in the country.[14][13] Hayes was also named the MVP of the 2014 Beanpot tournament.[22]

Hayes and the Blackhawks neglected to come to a contract agreement by the August 15 NHL deadline for college graduates, and Hayes subsequently became an unrestricted free agent.[23] Less than a week later, the New York Rangers signed Hayes to an entry-level contract which includes a base salary of $925,000 per season at the NHL level.[24] The Blackhawks, meanwhile, received a second-round compensatory pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, which eventually went to Graham Knott.[25] Blackhawks assistant general manager Norm Maciver called it "disappointing" that Hayes chose not to sign with them, and said that the situation inspired the organization to become more aggressive about signing future draft picks like Michael Paliotta.[26]

Following the signing of his contract, Hayes attended the Rangers' 2014 training camp prior to the 2014–15 season.[27] He made his NHL debut with the Rangers on October 12, 2014, in a home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing alongside Carl Hagelin and J. T. Miller. He finished his debut with 14:17 of ice time in 19 shifts and a plus-minus of negative 2.[28] A few games later, while centering a line with Rick Nash and former Boston College teammate, Chris Kreider, Hayes scored his first career NHL goal against the San Jose Sharks.[29][30] He finished the regular season ranking fifth among all league rookies in both points and assists as the Rangers qualified for the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. In the playoffs, Hayes tied for third among all rookies in points and tied for second with five assists.[31] His first post-season goal was an overtime game winner in Game Four to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins and give them a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.[32] As the Rangers advanced through the playoffs, he scored the game-tying goal in an eventual overtime win over the Washington Capitals in the second round and recorded an assist on Dominic Moore's late third period winner in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[31]

While attending the Rangers' training camp prior to the 2015–16 season, head coach Alain Vigneault said he's decided to give Hayes a chance on the first line with Kreider and Derek Stepan.[33] However, his scoring slightly regressed during the season and after going goalless in 16 games, he was a health scratch for the first time that season. Speaking of his decision, Vigneault said: "I think Kevin has had an extra-long leash, especially considering (Derek Stepan) was out for quite some time, but there’s just nothing going on."[34] Hayes returned to the lineup in January after sitting out two games.[35] Despite finishing the season recording only 14 goals and 22 assists through 36 points, the Rangers signed him to a two-year, $5.2 million contract extension.[36]

Hayes taking a faceoff in 2017

Prior to the 2016–17 season, Hayes reunited with childhood friend Jimmy Vesey who had signed with the Rangers as a collegiate free agent.[37] Due to their off-ice chemistry, Vigneault tried using them on a line together to start the season,[38][39] however Hayes was eventually stuck on the third line with Michael Grabner and Miller.[40] On October 30, 2016, their line combined for nine points in an eventual 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.[41] Hayes began strong with 13 goals and 22 assists in 47 games before suffering a lower body injury during a game against the Detroit Red Wings in January.[42] At the conclusion of first year of his new contract, Hayes improved his offensive abilities, scoring 17 goals and 32 assists for 49 points.[43] The following season, the Rangers once again lost Hayes due to an injury, this time the result of leg contusions. He missed six consecutive games but, upon his return, recorded an assist in the team's 6–5 win over the San Jose Sharks.[44] On July 31, 2018, as a restricted free agent, Hayes re-signed with the Rangers to a one-year contract.[45]

In the 2018–19 season, his fifth with the Rangers, Hayes increased his offensive output in contributing with 42 points in 51 games.[46] However, after missing nine games with an upper-body injury, he acknowledged his tenure with the team might be ending.[47] A few days after making this statement, he was traded at the NHL trade deadline to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Brendan Lemieux and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.[46] Hayes learned about his trade after Jets winger Blake Wheeler texted him "Welcome to the team."[48]

Upon being acquired by the Winnipeg Jets, Hayes was placed on a line with Mark Scheifele and Wheeler. On March 1, he scored his first goal with the team, and recorded two assists, in a 5–3 win over the visiting Nashville Predators.[49] He was subsequently named the game's third star.[50] Later that month, while playing on a line with Kyle Connor, Hayes helped the Jets qualify for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.[51]

On June 3, 2019, Hayes' negotiating rights were traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in the 2019 Entry Draft.[52] On June 19, the Flyers signed Hayes to a seven-year, $50 million contract with an annual average of $7.14 million.[53] The trade to Philly meant a reunion for Hayes and Vigneault, who was hired as the Flyers head coach after being fired from the Rangers in 2018.[54][55]

After a strong training camp performance on a line with James van Riemsdyk and Oskar Lindblom, Hayes made his Flyers debut in a preseason loss against the New York Islanders.[56] He, along with Sean Couturier and Jakub Voráček, was named as an alternate captain for the Philadelphia Flyers' 2019–20 season.[57] Hayes scored his first goal with the team on the power play against the New Jersey Devils on October 9, 2019.[58] Hayes played in all 69 regular-season games with the Flyers, recording 23 goals and 18 assists by the time that the 2019–20 NHL season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[59] He also recorded four short-handed goals and five game-winning goals, his career-best season in both.[59] On July 6, 2020, Hayes was named the winner of the Gene Hart Memorial Award for the 2019–20 season, awarded to the player who displays the most "heart."[60]

When the NHL returned to play, Hayes was one of the 31 players invited to Toronto for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs,[61] playing on a line with Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny.[62] He recorded six assists in as many games against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, and scored one goal in Game Six to advance to the second round.[63] The Flyers would go on to fall to the Islanders in the second round of the Eastern Conference,[64] and Hayes would finish the playoffs with four goals and nine assists.[43]

Hayes was once again named an alternate captain for the Flyers in the 2020–21 season, rotating the position with Voráček on away games, with Ivan Provorov serving as home alternate, and Couturier returning as permanent alternate.[65]