Kevin Hayes is anxious for a new start.
The words are eerily similar to the ones he spoke of when the St. Louis Blues acquired the veteran forward from the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2023 NHL Draft. But fast forward one year later to the 2024 draft, Hayes was on the move again when the Blues shipped the 32-year-old to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with a 2025 second-round pick for future considerations.
Needless to say, it wasn’t a good year for Hayes in his one season in St. Louis when he finished with just 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 79 games, a 25-point drop from the previous season when he was a All-Star with the Flyers.
Hayes spoke on a Zoom call with the Penguins media on Wednesday how he found out he was on the move again and outlined his time with the Blues.
“Pretty quick phone call; he said I traded your contract to Pittsburgh,” Hayes said of Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. “… Very excited to get back into the (Metropolitan Division). I feel like I’ve been in the Metro pretty much my whole career besides last year. I’m used to it; I’m used to the travel and excited to get back into that division.
“I felt like last year, I couldn’t really find a role in St. Louis and didn’t play my best hockey. Eager to get this season started to kind of show I can still play in this league and be part of a winning team. … I still think I can produce in this league and I want to show that to my teammates and the coaching staff.”
Armstrong admitted that it just didn’t work for Hayes here, something he felt like could be a fit when he acquired him at a 50-percent reduced cap hit that the Flyers took on.
The Blues tried utilizing Hayes, who had a terrific season on the face-off dot winning a career-best 57 percent of his draws, in different roles, even moving the career center to the wing, a third-line role, on the fourth line, at times in the top six to also being a healthy scratch, it just never meshed, from one coach [Craig Berube] to the next [Drew Bannister].
“I think being comfortable definitely helps,” Hayes said. “I feel like last year, I honestly enjoyed my time in St. Louis and the guys on that team were amazing in the locker room. I just never really found a role at all honestly. I’d have good games and then I’d have stretches of bad games. In order for me to kind of get back to where I think I should be in this league, just building the right relationship with the coach, gaining trust in the coach and being able to play in all situations.
“I think the style of play that I have, I’m a pass-first type of player and I think I want to switch maybe having a little more of a shooting mentality. I try to make the players that I play with a little bit better around me. I think the opportunity in Pittsburgh will allow that.”
Hayes understands the direction the Blues are headed in, and he also mentioned the retool instead of saying the Blues were going in a rebuild, but again, didn’t really find a defined role for himself.
“In St. Louis, I just feel like I never really found the correct role,” Hayes said. “I don’t want to say they’re going into a rebuild because I don’t think they are and I know when that was said to the guys in the locker room, they didn’t really appreciate it, but I just didn’t fit into their plan, I guess. It’s definitely an ego shot when you go to two teams in two years. But I’m a pretty confident person. I’ve been in the league a pretty long time, I’ve had successful seasons. I know what I need to do to make sure my game works in this league and I think I’ll have a good opportunity in Pittsburgh to do that.
“Instead of it being more of an ego shot, I’ll use it more as motivation to kind of show those two teams (Blues and Flyers) that I can still play and produce in this league.”
Related: Five players to represent St. Louis Blues at 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase
Related: Claude Julien wants to keep his craft going, also wants to add wisdom in helping Drew Bannister grow as a head coach
