Blues trade Kevin Hayes, 2025 second-round pick to Penguins for future considerations

Day 1 of the 2024 NHL Draft was relatively tame on the trade front, with teams exchanging picks rather than making any significant moves involving player personnel. That changed in a flash Saturday morning as Round 2 kicked off with a flurry of deals. Minutes after Utah Hockey Club’s blockbuster acquisition of Mikhail Sergachev, the Pittsburgh Penguins joined in on the fun, acquiring center Kevin Hayes from the St. Louis Blues, as reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.

The Blues also attached a 2025 second-round pick in the trade and receive future considerations in return. The move is a clear salary dump for St. Louis.

Hayes, 32, is entering the sixth season of a seven-year deal with a $7.142 million cap hit. The Philadelphia Flyers are already retaining 50 percent of it, however, having traded him to St. Louis last year. That means the Penguins are only taking on $3,571,429 for the last two seasons of his deal.

Hayes has been a productive middle-six forward for most of his career, averaging 19 goals and 48 points per 82 games. He spent most of 2023-24 functioning as the Blues’ third-line center, tallying 13 goals and 29 points. His 57.0 percent faceoff success rate was 11^th best in the NHL among players who took 500 or more draws this past season. His defensive results were among the worst of his career, however. He carried a 45.5 percent expected goal share and 45.37 percent scoring chance share at 5-on-5 on a Blues team that missed the playoffs.

Hayes is clearly past his prime in his early 30s but deepens the center group for a Pens team that already has Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Lars Eller.

_____

POST SPONSORED BY bet365