Jimmy Hayes Elite Scoring?

[Juggernaut27]

It's not about learning to contain him... it's about defenders not having the physical ability to deal with him in front... few d men in this league can handle Hayes in front which is what make guds so valuable...

Agreed. But I'm pretty sure he will be watched and covered better and plenty of D-Men in the league can stand with him. If he is that much of a threat there will be changes to defensive strategies and line matchups to try and offset.

When Howden comes up next I'd like to see him on a line with Hayes and Jugs. Now there's a line that would be next to impossible to deal with.

 

[harv33173]

i really like hayes. he does the simple things and is hard to deal with down low. i think he should be a core piece of this team and would like to lock him up long term. don't know if this is feasible, but 2 1/2 - 3 mil range would be a good pick up for the club imo.

 

[FlaPnthrsPunk]

I love how Hayes is always in the right position in front of the net, which is how he's great with his big frame to screen the opposing goaltender to score. It's not something that many players can excel at, but he's figured it out well. I don't expect him to finish with 30 goals as his hot streak will cool off at some point, but if he reaches 25, that's quite fine with me. If that's the case, I think we certainly need to think about giving him an extension if he'll take it.

 

[Miami Panther]

What I like about Hayes is that he realized his niche and has committed 100% to it. I would not be surprised at all if he is a consistent 25 goal scorer in the NHL. Is that elite? Well I don't think so, but 25 goals is pretty damn impressive if you ask me--especially for our offensively starved team.

 

[flapanthersfan]

my biggest problem with the comparison to Simmonds and Lucic is that Hayes isn't physical. Those two will smash your head through the glass to score. Hayes is a gentle giant. He'll take abuse, but doesn't dish it.

 

[Beezeral]

Jimmy Hayes is this year's Clarkson. He gets his goals off the great plays of people around him. Guy you want on your 3rd line, but if someone wants to pay him top 6 money, let him walk.

 

[Erick*]

One thing I'll say about him is that I'm happy for him that his hard work has paid off. When he first came here, I wasn't a big fan and I was actually more excited to have Olsen. Hayes has become a very valuable member of the team though. He's a much better skater now than when he first got here. Hopefully he's never scratched again this year. Sustainable or not (and no, I don't think it's sustainable), he gets a lot of his work done in front of the net and I appreciate that. If more guys went to the front of the net like him, we'd score more goals.

 

[Dread Clawz]

Although unlikely, it would be awesome if Hayes turned out to be a legit top-6 power forward.

I don't see why it's unlikely, he's already at over a 20 goal pace pro-rated.

 

[Dread Clawz]

The high shooting percentage is largely because he is right in front of the net when he shoots, the same reason Wayne Simmonds' floats around 13-15% except Hayes average shooting distance is from almost 5 feet closer than Simmonds. Sure it likely won't stay up around 17% but if he keeps going to the front of the net like he does 15% isn't unreasonable.

I agree. Hayes is also huge and that helps. He has underrated hands and when he's getting shots like he is on goalies from that close, he's going to pot some goals. He's a pretty tough load to deal with in front of the net.

He's on a streak and opponents will learn to deal with him eventually. Bertuzzi had some of the best hands out there and Hayes isn't much of a passer or dangler, though he's shown some great instincts lately.

I think he's a legitimate top-6 winger, potentially, but I'd be pretty surprised if he breaks out and becomes a 30+ guy. 35-45 points and a lot of size and intangibles ain't bad at all for a second line winger.

35-45 is very good for top 6 PF.

 

[EnforceTheLaus]

His skating lead to the most improvements IMO. I think he has a lot more confidence down low than last year because he can roll with the crease battles with stronger footing and balance. Last year Hawks fans said he had size but didn't use it and it ws the case last season too. He's been smart enough to recognize his niche and train for it by getting much better skating. Elite? I don't think so but I think he may be a top 6 PF player. Very happy with how he's developed.