The St. Louis Blues have made their first trade of the summer, and after the past few days of reporting, it’s no surprise that it comes with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blues have acquired veteran forward Kevin Hayes from the Flyers in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick, and the Flyers will also retain 50 percent of his salary in the final three seasons of his deal. So, the Blues don’t acquire defenseman Travis Sanheim as the reported initial trade included, and they keep both of their late first-round picks in the 2023 Draft for now.
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The past four days have been full of reported drama between the two clubs as they tried to negotiate a trade. The first reports of this trade came last Saturday and set the NHL world on fire as it was supposed to be a major blockbuster. That didn’t come to fruition after Blues defenseman Torey Krug reportedly refused to waive his no-trade clause to go to Philadelphia. Ultimately, the Blues acquire Hayes, and they can slot him in as their third-line center for the 2023-24 season.
The Blues Hope to Reignite Hayes
Hayes has three years left on his contract at a $3.5 million salary cap hit for the Blues as the Flyers retain the other half. He had a solid offensive season in 2022-23 despite playing for a poor Flyers team with John Tortorella as their head coach. The Blues had a clear need for a third-line center coming into this summer, and Hayes can fill that role right away. For what it’s worth, he’s also a terrific locker-room guy. Although, the Blues could still acquire another center in a trade or free agency and move Hayes to the wing if they desire.
Hayes had 18 goals, 36 assists, and 54 points in 81 games this season in Philadelphia. Those 36 assists tied a career-high that he first reached in 2018-19. If he repeats those numbers in 2023-24 with the Blues, that’ll work fine for a third-line center. However, I believe he has more to give from a goal-scoring standpoint after failing to reach 20 goals over the past three seasons. He had 25 goals in 2017-18 with the New York Rangers and 23 goals with the Flyers in 2019-20. If Blues head coach Craig Berube can properly fit him in both the system and lineup, I don’t see why he couldn’t have another 20-goal season in 2023-24.
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I won’t sit here and pretend like Hayes is an elite player by any means, but I think he has plenty to give over the next three seasons. A lot of the Blues’ belief in Hayes likely revolves around getting him a change of scenery and away from Tortorella, who he did not mesh well with. I trust that Berube and his staff can fit Hayes into the lineup in a spot where he produces the most. The Blues aren’t taking a big risk with this deal, especially with the Flyers retaining 50 percent of his salary.
A Big Week Ahead for the Blues
The Blues are bound to make more trades this week as the 2023 Draft takes place tomorrow. They still have all three of their first-round picks, and they must solve the Krug drama. I expect Blues general manager Doug Armstrong to trade at least one of his hefty contracts on the blue line. Whether it’s Krug, Marco Scandella, Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, or Nick Leddy, a deal should be coming soon.
I don’t expect Armstrong to make all three picks in the first round either, so it would be shocking if the Blues don’t make multiple trades in the next few days. They need to create more cap flexibility, as they currently have under $4 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. At the end of the day, the trade for Hayes is incredibly low risk and could be a solid reward if the Blues properly use him. I can already envision a line centered by Hayes with Sammy Blais and Brandon Saad on each wing, that would be a heavy and fun line to watch. Armstrong is off to a solid start to the offseason, and I’m sure more moves lie ahead.
