Montreal Canadiens: Potential UFA target is likely off the market

Kevin Hayes could’ve been a player for the Montreal Canadiens to pursue, but with his trade to the Philadelphia Flyers, he may never reach free agency.

There’s value in having a management group that puts emphasis on asset management. Ideally, any organization should, but teams sometimes try to push to keep their players instead of reading the writing on the wall and getting something for them before they leave. The Winnipeg Jets did that with Kevin Hayes on Monday which is a positive for them (depending on how you think about it), but a downer for the Montreal Canadiens.

The Jets acquire Hayes from the New York Rangers ahead of the trade deadline for a hopefully deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hayes didn’t exactly have the same impact as Paul Stastny did for their 2017 stretch, but he did find his way into the contribution column here and there for the Jets.

The 26-year-old played in the final 20 regular season games for Winnipeg putting up 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 total points. Hayes was a more noticeable in the playoffs scoring two goals and adding an assist in the Jets’ six games before their first-round elimination. It’s unfortunate for him to come off the ends of what Stastny did, giving their clear difference in scoring output.

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Hayes is more of a two-way team guy instead of someone who tries to finish on his own. It’s not to discredit his role on the Jets, it just didn’t seem like the perfect combination for the run.

Going back to the asset management angle, Hayes was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Knowing they weren’t going to resign him, the Flyers chose to move his rights to Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.

The receiving team who makes a trade such as this likely has an idea of their chances to get the player on a contract. A fifth-rounder isn’t the highest pick, but the Flyers aren’t necessarily in a ‘go for it’ window where they can throw around picks.

According to Elliott Friedman, there doesn’t seem to be a deal on the table as of yet, but Philly is going to do what they can to get Hayes locked up. If so, there goes a possible name from the Montreal Canadiens UFA shopping list.

Hayes isn’t the best available centre on July 1st, assuming he gets there, but there is a lot to like about his game that would’ve warranted a contract. Even if he isn’t a finisher himself. Looking at his season overall, Hayes put up 55 points which isn’t a total to scoff at in today’s NHL.

The key targets for the Montreal Canadiens will likely still be Matt Duchene and possibly Artemi Panarin if those negotiations don’t get too out of hand. However, Hayes could’ve been a sneaky signing to help bolster the Habs centre depth. There’s no guarantee that Jesperi Kotkaniemi takes a step forward (despite how much we hope) and that Ryan Poehling is ready to step in immediately (despite how much we hope).

That said, there’s nothing wrong with taking the risk and rolling the dice with two drafted players who show signs of success.