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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.

Injury Updates: Hayes, Russell, Paquette, Hutton

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Flyers center Kevin Hayes is set to undergo core muscle surgery sometime next week, GM Chuck Fletcher told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News (Twitter link).  The veteran had indicated last week when the season ended that he would need to go under the knife but the specifics weren’t indicated at that time.  Hayes had a somewhat quiet season offensively with a dozen goals and 19 assists in 55 games, yielding a point per game average that was just below his first season with the team (which was down from the year before that) but still managed to finish seventh in team scoring.  There’s no word on how long the recovery time from the procedure will be.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Oilers defenseman Kris Russell will not be available when their series against Winnipeg gets underway on Wednesday, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. The veteran suffered a leg injury late last month against Calgary, missing the final eight games as a result.  His physicality and shot blocking are elements that head coach Dave Tippett would like to have on his back end but with him unavailable, Caleb Jones is expected to start on the third pairing.  Meanwhile, winger Kailer Yamamoto, who missed the last two games, will be available to suit up.
  • Hurricanes center Cedric Paquette remains unavailable and was not in the lineup for their opener against Nashville, relays Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer (Twitter link). The 27-year-old last played in late April and has been battling an undisclosed injury since then.  Paquette averaged 4.5 hits per game in Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup run last season and Carolina will be counting on a similar level of physicality once he’s able to return.
  • Maple Leafs defenseman Ben Hutton doesn’t have an injury but he’s not currently available due to a non-COVID-related medical issue, mentions TSN’s Kristen Shilton (Twitter link). The situation is currently being monitored by team doctors.  Toronto brought the 28-year-old in at the trade deadline for injury depth heading into the playoffs but only suited up four times after being acquired from Anaheim.

2020 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

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The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim: Cam Fowler

Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Boston: Patrice Bergeron

Buffalo: Jack Eichel

Calgary: Travis Hamonic

Carolina: Jordan Staal

Chicago: Jonathan Toews

Colorado: Gabriel Landeskog

Columbus: Cam Atkinson

Dallas: Tyler Seguin

Detroit: Justin Abdelkader

Edmonton: Leon Draisaitl

Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky

Los Angeles: Trevor Lewis

Minnesota: Matt Dumba

Montreal: Carey Price

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

New Jersey: P.K. Subban

NY Islanders: Matt Martin

NY Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist

Ottawa: Brady Tkachuk

Philadelphia: Kevin Hayes

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

San Jose: Evander Kane

St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn

Toronto: Mitch Marner

Vancouver: Alexander Edler

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury

Washington: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler

Snapshots: Rangers, Lagesson, Maletta

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Back in the summer, it looked as if the Rangers had done rather well for themselves with the acquisition of Jacob Trouba with the centerpiece of the return being the first-round pick they had received from Winnipeg months earlier for rental center Kevin Hayes.  However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post opines that in hindsight, they may have been better off keeping Hayes and signing him at the price he was looking for in the 2018 offseason over acquiring Trouba via trade.

Trouba has done well for New York this season but hasn’t quite lived up to the billing relative to his $8MM price tag.  Meanwhile, Neal Pionk, the player that Winnipeg acquired in the swap, has actually outproduced Trouba offensively by five points so far this season.  There’s still plenty of time for things to change but as of right now, the two Winnipeg trades haven’t quite worked out as well as the Rangers would have hoped, especially with young center Lias Andersson not panning out like they were expecting.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Oilers prospect William Lagesson has switched agencies, reports Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal. The defenseman has joined Allan Walsh and Octagon after previously being represented by Markus Lehto.  The 23-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level contract and has yet to suit up in Edmonton despite being recalled twice already this season.
  • Former Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Maletta has been cleared to return to hockey and is set to enroll at Brock University next semester, notes OHL broadcaster Victor Findlay (Twitter link). The 24-year-old was flipped to Arizona in February of 2018 before being a part of the Marian Hossa trade five months later but Chicago terminated his contract when he was deemed medically unfit to play.  He spent last season as a part-time assistant coach with OHL Niagara but now will unretire and resume his playing career.

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