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Kevin Hayes

Metropolitan Notes: Yandle, Hayes, Boqvist, Matheson

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Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle has had a rough season.  While he has set the new ironman record for the most consecutive regular season games played (975 and counting), his offensive numbers have been underwhelming with a goal and 14 assists in 52 games.  He has a full no-move clause in his one-year, $900K contract and told reporters, including NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall, that he hasn’t given any consideration as to whether or not he’d be willing to waive that trade protection.  Yandle could have an opportunity to be a depth option for a contender or two but he almost certainly wouldn’t play regularly, meaning his ironman streak would end.  On the flip side, with Philadelphia out of contention, they may agree to keep him in their lineup and allow that streak to continue.  The 35-year-old has a couple more weeks to make his decision.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with the Flyers, they’re set to welcome back center Kevin Hayes from injured reserve on Saturday, relays Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 29-year-old has missed the last 16 games after needing to undergo surgery to remove an infection in his groin.  Hayes has been limited to just 20 games so far this season where he has collected nine points.
  • The Blue Jackets announced that they’ve placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury. The injury was sustained back on Sunday against Pittsburgh and the placement was back-dated to that point.  As a result, Boqvist could be activated as soon as Monday for their game against Toronto.
  • The Penguins have moved defenseman Mike Matheson to injured reserve, relays Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). The blueliner has been out with an upper-body injury that was sustained back on February 24th and the placement has been back-dated so he’s eligible to come off at any time.  The purpose of the move is to free up a roster spot for them to bring someone up from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the time being.

Metropolitan Notes: Texier, Flyers, Capitals

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While Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier was originally expected to miss four weeks with a finger injury (a time period that has come and gone), Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports (Twitter link) that the 22-year-old is still a few weeks away from returning.  Texier is having the best season of his career so far with 11 goals and nine assists in 36 games but this injury will have taken away that momentum.

Texier has found his name in recent trade speculation with teams calling about him but the injury won’t help things on that front either.  On that front, Hedger adds in a follow-up tweet that the team has no interest in moving him.  He has long been viewed as a future building block for the Blue Jackets and since he has shown some promising signs in his development this season, it’s understandable that they’d want to keep him around.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Prior to their game this afternoon against Washington, the Flyers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated winger Joel Farabee and center Derick Brassard off injured reserve. Farabee has missed a little more than a month due to an upper-body injury but is still tied for third on Philadelphia in goals with 11 in 33 games.  Brassard, meanwhile, has been battling hip issues all season long but has managed to pick up 11 points in 20 games.  If Brassard can stay healthy, he could be a trade candidate for a team looking to add some depth before the trade deadline.  Meanwhile, Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now adds that center Kevin Hayes could return late next week after being out for more than a month with an adductor injury.
  • While Washington has very limited cap space that’s entirely based on Anthony Mantha’s LTIR placement, both J.J. Regan and Andrew Gillis of NBC Sports Washington believe that the Capitals need to find a way to add an impact goaltender by next month’s trade deadline. Vitek Vanecek is currently injured and while Ilya Samsonov was able to play this afternoon despite appearing to suffer an injury in the warmup, he has struggled with inconsistency this season.  They’ve been previously linked to Chicago’s Marc-Andre Fleury but would likely need to get Chicago to retain half of his $7MM contract plus a third-party facilitator to take on another 25% of the contract to have a chance at fitting him into their cap structure.

Kevin Hayes Undergoes Procedure, Out 3-4 Weeks

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that center Kevin Hayes underwent a procedure this morning to drain fluid from his adductor region. He will miss the next three to four weeks, another pump in what has been a nightmare season for the veteran forward.

Hayes has played in just 20 games this season, including last night’s loss to the New York Islanders. He has just three goals and nine points while dealing with several stints on injured reserve and a bout with COVID-19. All of that followed the tragedy of his brother’s death in the offseason, when Jimmy Hayes suddenly passed away.

Speaking about his teammate, Scott Laughton told reporters including Jordan Hall of NBCS Philly that he “commends him for playing through what he has” and called him an incredible teammate. With a three to four-week absence now in front of him, Hayes will miss at least the next seven games and likely many more, as the scheduled Olympic break is filled with previously postponed matches.

It’s been a disaster for Philadelphia this season and the lack of a full-strength Hayes has been a big part of that. In his first two seasons with the Flyers, he registered 35 goals and 72 points in 124 games, playing on both the powerplay and penalty kill. The team is now 13-18-7 on the year and owns the third-worst goal differential (-34) in the Eastern Conference. Now on an eight-game losing streak, they’ll have to find a way to get back in the win column without Hayes in the lineup.

Kevin Hayes, Brendan Smith Enter COVID Protocol

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A pair of Metropolitan Division players have entered the COVID protocol today, as the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers have announced the absences of Brendan Smith and Kevin Hayes respectively.

The Flyers were set to take on the Washington Capitals tomorrow and Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, but will now have to do it without the services of a top forward. Hayes has had a nightmare season to this point, suiting up for just 11 games so far due to injury. He does have six points in those games, but now faces another period on the sidelines.

Carolina meanwhile wasn’t scheduled to play until after the break, meaning they should at least be getting a handful of players back from the COVID protocol in time to face the Florida Panthers on Dec 27. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis have already been in the protocol for a week, while others like Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov, Ian Cole, and Steven Lorentz will have also cleared the ten-day threshold by the time the Hurricanes are set to return to action.

Kevin Hayes Out Week-To-Week

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After just two games, Kevin Hayes is back on the shelf for the Philadelphia Flyers. The big forward is out on a week-to-week basis after suffering a re-injury against the Calgary Flames. He scored his lone goal of the season in that game, an emotional moment for the forward that has had an incredibly difficult few months.

Hayes had two abdominal surgeries this offseason, first in June and then again in September. That kept him on long-term injured reserve to start the year, but he was activated on November 13 to play against the Dallas Stars. In both of his two appearances, he didn’t even play 15 minutes of ice time as the team eased him back into the lineup, but that strategy appeared to have failed. Hayes will now exit a Flyers lineup that can’t seem to get healthy.

He’ll now stay in Tampa to get treatment for a few days, according to head coach Alain Vigneault, but it’s not clear when Hayes will be back for the Flyers. The team is already dealing with a similar issue for Ryan Ellis, who has suffered setbacks in his own injury troubles this season. Philadelphia has lost two in a row and now sits at 8-5-3 on the year as they try to hang onto the Metropolitan Division playoff race. The top three teams are beginning to pull away, with the New York Rangers now six points ahead of the Flyers for third.

Kevin Hayes Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Philadelphia Flyers are getting back a huge piece of their lineup, activating Kevin Hayes off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team has loaned Nick Seeler to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. They also lost Nicolas Aube-Kubel on waivers today when the Colorado Avalanche claimed him. Ryan Ellis is also expected to return to the lineup tonight for the Flyers as they approach full strength.

In June, Hayes, 29, underwent core muscle surgery and was originally given a six-to-eight week timeline for recovery. That would have put him well ahead of schedule for the start of the season, but in September he was back under the knife for another abdominal procedure. Now trying to jump on a moving train, the Flyers will have to hope Hayes can get up to speed quickly and get back to his productive self.

After signing a massive seven-year, $50MM contract with the Flyers in 2019, Hayes registered 23 goals and 41 games in 69 games, adding a considerable presence with the man-advantage and shorthanded. Last season those numbers dropped to 12 goals and 31 points in 55 games, but he was still as important as ever to the Philadelphia attack. Now, after several major roster changes in the offseason, the Flyers are 7-3-2 and in the thick of the Metropolitan Division playoff race.

Even if you aren’t a Philadelphia fan, it’s hard not to root for Hayes’ success this season. Not only did he deal with multiple offseason surgeries, but also the tragic loss of his brother, former NHL forward Jimmy Hayes. A return to the ice will certainly be an emotional experience for the veteran center, and one that will have a little more impact on hockey fans all over the world.

Injury Notes: Flyers, Maple Leafs, Canadiens

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The Philadelphia Flyers are getting closer to having both Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes back in the lineup, two of the team’s most important players. Head coach Alain Vigneault explained today that the earliest Hayes would get back in the lineup is next Tuesday, but Ellis is ahead of that schedule and could even have an outside chance at playing tomorrow. If Ellis did play, he wouldn’t immediately jump up to the top pairing; Vigneault explained that the team would have to ease him in.

Ellis has played just three games for the Flyers this season, but had four points in those contests and averaged more than 24 minutes of ice time. The 30-year-old defenseman was acquired from the Nashville Predators in the offseason and was expected to carry a huge load at both ends of the rink. Hayes meanwhile is the team’s second-highest-paid player but hasn’t seen the ice at all as he continues to recover from offseason surgery. The 29-year-old had 12 goals and 31 points in 55 games last season and is a key option down the middle for the club.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs had a few absences at today’s practice, most notably captain John Tavares. Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that Tavares is day-to-day and a game-time decision for tomorrow’s match with the Flyers, according to Mark Masters of TSN. Ondrej Kase has the same designation, and is also a game-time decision for the Maple Leafs. With Petr Mrazek out, the Maple Leafs have the cap space to carry a pair of extra forwards and are expected to bring Joey Anderson and Kirill Semyonov to Philadelphia.
  • The Montreal Canadiens won’t have Jonathan Drouin back in the lineup tonight despite his appearance at the morning skate, while both Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson are questionable for the game against the Los Angeles Kings. The Canadiens have lost their last two and have just three wins in 13 games so far this season. That puts them at the very bottom of the Atlantic Division table, just a few months after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. A lineup without Drouin, Dvorak, and Anderson would certainly be put to the test by the Kings, who are currently on the league’s longest winning streak.

Injury Notes: Hayes, Sabres, Raanta

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While Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes is eligible to come off long-term injured reserve for Philadelphia’s game on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, it sounds like the forward isn’t quite ready to return from an injury that’s kept him out all season up until this point. Head coach Alain Vigneault won’t rule it out but says that “Wednesday is an outside chance, more on the outside than on the inside” in terms of Hayes’ availability. If Hayes does return, it will be ahead of schedule. He was expected to miss roughly two months after being placed on injured reserve in late September as he continued to recover from offseason core muscle surgery.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • While the Sabres have dealt with some injuries to key players lately, it sounds like there’s good news on the horizon. Forward Victor Olofsson is close to returning, while a day-to-day injury that’s keeping goalie Craig Anderson out of the lineup isn’t serious enough to warrant placing him on injured reserve, per Sabres head coach Don Granato. Olofsson’s been a pleasant surprise, jumping out to lead the team in scoring with nine points in just eight games while playing over 17 minutes a night. The injury looks to be a bump in the road on a real breakout season for the Swedish forward, who’s often been chastised for his lack of production at even-strength.
  • Carolina Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta left Saturday’s game after colliding with Florida Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg, and the team’s public relations team tweeted that he won’t return to the game with an upper-body injury. Raanta’s lengthy injury history gives serious cause for concern here, and it appears as though Frederik Andersen could need to continue shouldering the load for the next little while. Lomberg was assessed a five-minute major penalty on the play.

Philadelphia Flyers Announce Several Injuries

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Philadelphia Flyers training camp hasn’t even officially opened yet and the team is already announcing multiple injuries. Kevin Hayes will be out six to eight weeks following abdominal surgery, Samuel Morin was given a six to eight-week timeline after knee surgery on September 10 and Wade Allison, who was injured at the recent rookie tournament, is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain. Zayde Wisdom is still out indefinitely following his shoulder surgery and Cooper Zech is out six to eight weeks with an upper-body issue.

Hayes is the obvious headline here, given he is expected to be a key part of the Flyers’ attack again this season. According to head coach Alain Vigneault, the veteran center felt pain in his groin yesterday and went in for surgery today. Six weeks from today is November 2, meaning he will miss at least the first ten or so games of the regular season should the timeline prove accurate.

In fact, the head coach specifically noted how difficult the first month of the season will be without Hayes and Allison, who also made quite an impact in his short time last season. The 23-year-old Allison scored four goals and seven points in 14 games with the Flyers after showing he was more than ready for the jump to the NHL. Selected 52nd overall in 2016, he could very well push up the depth chart this season as the team tries to find a new identity.

For Morin, this latest surgery was to have loose bodies removed, not a repair of any major ligament. That should inspire at least a bit of confidence that he’ll be able to return at full strength, but it’s difficult to project anything for the 26-year-old at this point. Once a promising defensive prospect, his professional career has been ravaged by injuries, limiting him to just 58 games (at any level) since the start of the 2017-18 season. After a failed attempt to restart his career as a forward, Morin returned to the defensive side of the puck late last season and is listed again as a defenseman this season.

Kevin Hayes Undergoes Core Muscle Surgery

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The offseason is here for many teams and with it will come surgeries and lengthy injury recoveries. In the case of Kevin Hayes of the Philadelphia Flyers, that means core muscle surgery. Hayes went under the knife last week and is facing a recovery timeline of five weeks.

That obviously leaves him with plenty of time to get ready for next season, but it also doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be at full strength when things kick off in October. Core muscle surgeries are notorious for having long-lasting effects on performance, meaning the start of the season could be tough for the 29-year-old.

This injury could also explain some of the struggles that Hayes went through this season, scoring just 12 goals in 55 games for the Flyers and now really looking like the same player they had a year prior. He still ended up with 31 points but saw his role on the penalty kill decreased, resulting in zero short-handed goals for just the second time in his career. His nine even-strength goals were also easily the lowest total of his career, and certainly not what the team expected for more than $7.1MM per season.

Hayes still has five seasons left on that seven-year, $50MM contract he signed in 2019, meaning he’ll have to rebound if the Flyers are going anywhere in 2021-22. For those that believe a shakeup is in order, the veteran center is not a likely candidate to be moved, if only because of his no-movement clause. That clause will change to a 12-team no-trade after the 2021-22 season.

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