Rumor: Kevin Hayes to Chicago?

[CT Doug]

John Buccigross and Barry Melrose were breaking down Game 5 of Blues-Jets last night on ESPN and Melrose made the claim that Hayes had played his "best game as a Jet", to which Buccigross responded "future Blackhawks center, you heard it here first."

This is the second time this month Buccigross has suggested Hayes will become a Hawk, the first being his cryptic tweet "future Blackhawk Kevin Hayes scores on current Blackhawk Crawford" after Hayes scored in OT to beat the Hawks in Chicago during the last week of the regular season.

What, if anything, should we make of this?

I hope it's just hot air from the goofball at ESPN because the thought of Bowman signing Hayes to big term/$ on July 1 makes me want to throw up in my mouth.

Click to read more...

 

[Mrfenn92]

I would love for the hawks to sign Hayes. Big body center or playing on a wing on the top 2 lines.
Agreed though price and length will be tough.

 

[clydesdale line]

I'm on record of saying I would be beyond shocked if Hayes came back here, but hey.... would love to be wrong (although playoff Hayes is just not very good).

 

[southernbeardown54]

It makes sense. He is the type of player they need.

 

[Styles]

I think he’d be a great pick up for what this team needs. It seems the general consensus around here is we need more physical 2-way players. Him and Saad on the third line could matchup against top lines and take some of the work load off Toews. Let the Cat-Strome line get the favorable matchups. I like the idea but I’m not sure what the term and AAV would be. He’s making 5.175M now so does 6Mx5 get it done?

 

[LDF]

I'm on record of saying I would be beyond shocked if Hayes came back here, but hey.... would love to be wrong (although playoff Hayes is just not very good).

i totally agree, i really don't see the Bhawks making a run at K. Hayes, mostly b/c he blew off the Bhawks several yrs ago.

org i am against him coming back, but i can see the pluses he brings to the team next yr. however now it comes down to the salary request.

 

[ChicagoHockeyFan]

I feel like he is kinda a more skilled Anisimov I’m not sure he would move the needle that much. He’s big, not that fast and has good hands, sounds a lot like Anisimov to me. For 6M I want a guy I know can impact the team. Also 12 mil on the third line with him and Saad would be rough. For 6M we could get a better player that can help this team win more than Hayes can

 

[hawksrule]

I'd be happy to get Hayes at the right price.

 

[Styles]

i totally agree, i really don't see the Bhawks making a run at K. Hayes, mostly b/c he blew off the Bhawks several yrs ago.

I don’t think the front office is going to hold onto a grudge that long if it improves the team going forward.

 

[Kaners PPGs]

If they could move Anisimov and the price was right. Those are too big "ifs".

 

[LDF]

I don’t think the front office is going to hold onto a grudge that long if it improves the team going forward.

i kinda agree with your premise/opinion but i need to fight my pettiness in this whole K. Hayes not signing.

i can see the how it can help, i guess i need to see the salary request that maybe can sway my pov.

 

[LDF]

If they could move Anisimov and the price what right. Those are too big "ifs".

i have been waiting for the SC finals to post this, but i do it now, i can see a salary dump with Ana and trading AA to Ana for a short term with AA.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

I feel like he is kinda a more skilled Anisimov I’m not sure he would move the needle that much. He’s big, not that fast and has good hands, sounds a lot like Anisimov to me. For 6M I want a guy I know can impact the team. Also 12 mil on the third line with him and Saad would be rough. For 6M we could get a better player that can help this team win more than Hayes can

I think I agree on not investing more money on the third line.

I’m leaning toward the free agent signing being a guy who can play next to Toews and Kane. If that’s Hayes, cool.

I’d also bump Saad up to play with DeBrincat and Strome.

Then if Anisimov stays, I’d keep shuffling the bottom-six around him and Kampf until you find combos that work. Someone is going to rise to the top. Caggiula, Perlini, Kahun, Highmore, and anyone else you can take a one-year flier on. Just keep blending them all until you find two bottom-six lines that click

But I’d load up our bottom-six first, then figure out the depth. We’re not in a terrible place with that as we have some promising younger bottom-six guys who can slide up the lineup, when needed.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Caggiula-Toews-Kane
DeBrincat-Strome-Sikura
Saad-Hayes-Perlini
Kublik-Kampf-Kahun
Hayden

Keith-Jokiharju
Gus-Murphy
Forsling-Seabrook
4K/Dahlstrom

Crawford
Delia

Byram gets 9 game tryout. Boqvist could as well. That forward group would get me pretty excited. Very dynamic group of skill, speed and size.

 

[ChicagoHockeyFan]

I think I agree on not investing more money on the third line.

I’m leaning toward the free agent signing being a guy who can play next to Toews and Kane. If that’s Hayes, cool.

I’d also bump Saad up to play with DeBrincat and Strome.

Then if Anisimov stays, I’d keep shuffling the bottom-six around him and Kampf until you find combos that work. Someone is going to rise to the top. Caggiula, Perlini, Kahun, Highmore, and anyone else you can take a one-year flier on. Just keep blending them all until you find two bottom-six lines that click

But I’d load up our bottom-six first, then figure out the depth. We’re not in a terrible place with that as we have some promising younger bottom-six guys who can slide up the lineup, when needed.

I’m ok with investing some money in the bottom six but I would rather have 2 3M dollar players or 3 2M players than 1 6M players

 

[Bubba88]

Move AA, sign Hayes. Seems like it's realistic.

Q is gone, maybe that would have been a problem.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

I’m ok with investing some money in the bottom six but I would rather have 2 3M dollar players or 3 2M players than 1 6M players

Exactly, investing money like that in the bottom-six is resonable. But I don't think two $6 million guys is a good idea, especially when neither are really high scoring guys.

I'd rather load the top-six, and invest a moderate amount in the bottom-six.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

Move AA, sign Hayes. Seems like it's realistic.

Q is gone, maybe that would have been a problem.

If we did that, I'd go:

Hayes-Toews-Kane
DeBrincat-Strome-Saad
Perlini-Kampf/UFA signing-Kahun
Caggiula-Kampf/Highmore-FA signing like Hathaway

Again, I'd keep blending that bottom-six until we find things that click, but I wouldn't drop top-six guys down the lineup to do it.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

If we did that, I'd go:

Hayes-Toews-Kane
DeBrincat-Strome-Saad
Perlini-Kampf/UFA signing-Kahun
Caggiula-Kampf/Highmore-FA signing like Hathaway

Again, I'd keep blending that bottom-six until we find things that click, but I wouldn't drop top-six guys down the lineup to do it.

Saad and Hayes on a 3rd line is a good problem to have. Means the team has elite depth. Like 2015 when they had Sharp, TT and Vermette.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

Saad and Hayes on a 3rd line is a good problem to have. Means the team has elite depth. Like 2015 when they had Sharp, TT and Vermette.

Sure, it means elite depth when you actually have six top-six players ahead of them.

Caggiula, Sikura, Kahun, and Perlini aren't top-six players at the moment. Saad and Hayes are.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Sure, it means elite depth when you actually have six top-six players ahead of them.

Would you have said Versteeg and Richards were defined as top 6 players in 2015? Or Kopecky in 2010? Handzus in 2013? The goal is to construct the best lineup possible, not necessarily to say he’s top 6, he’s not etc. Hawks played some of their best hockey with Caggiula on the top line and he’s not a top line player. This happens with a lot of teams.

 

[Styles]

I’m ok with investing some money in the bottom six but I would rather have 2 3M dollar players or 3 2M players than 1 6M players

Sure, it means elite depth when you actually have six top-six players ahead of them.

Caggiula, Sikura, Kahun, and Perlini aren't top-six players at the moment. Saad and Hayes are.

Saad was on the third line for the last month of the season and still averaged 18 minutes a game. Both him and Hayes averaging that will impact the game way more than say a Beagle and Rousell who are two players that signed for 3M last year in free agency.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

Would you have said Versteeg and Richards were defined as top 6 players in 2015? Or Kopecky in 2010? Handzus in 2013? The goal is to construct the best lineup possible, not necessarily say he’s top 6, he’s not etc.

Saad and Hayes are complimentary top-six players though, they're not guys who independently drive play.

If you have someone like Sharp of Teravainen on the third line, it'd make sense.

I just think you're giving your four best guys worse complementary linemates for no reason. I want to maximize the top-six because it gets the most out your top forwards, and the most out of Saad.

 

[RememberTheRoar]

Saad was on the third line for the last month of the season and still averaged 18 minutes a game. Both him and Hayes averaging that will impact the game way more than say a Beagle and Rousell who are two players that signed for 3M last year in free agency.

Again, I'd be totally fine with it if Toews-Kane and DeBrincat-Strome had better complimentary wingers.

Neither of those lines have someone even as good as Hyman, nonetheless someone like Lindholm or Wilson.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Saad was on the third line for the last month of the season and still averaged 18 minutes a game. Both him and Hayes averaging that will impact the game way more than say a Beagle and Rousell who are two players that signed for 3M last year in free agency.

This team definitely doesn’t need overpaid bottom 6 players like Beagle and Rousell. Those guys need to be found for cheaper on buy low deals, trade, draft or overseas. We need top 6 players that can be paid reasonable money to slot in on a 3rd line. 6m for Hayes when you’re shipping out Anisimov and his 4.55m per in an 80m+ cap world is not a huge deal when its a 1.45m incremental increase in cap and they have 20m+ to deploy.