The Pittsburgh Penguins are acquiring center Kevin Hayes from the St. Louis Blues, as reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
Hayes, 32, is entering the sixth season of a seven-year deal with a $7.142 million cap hit. The Philadelphia Flyers are already retaining 50 percent of it, having traded him to St. Louis last year. That means the Penguins are only taking on $3,571,429 for the previous two seasons of his deal, assuming no additional salary retention is happening on this trade, which is not yet confirmed.
Hayes has been a productive middle-six forward for most of his career, averaging 19 goals and 48 points per 82 games. He spent most of 2023-24 as the Blues’ third-line center, tallying 13 goals and 29 points. His 57.0 percent faceoff success rate was 11th best in the NHL among players who took 500 or more draws this past season. However, his defensive results were among the worst of his career, carrying a 45.5 percent expected goal share and 45.37 percent scoring chance share at 5-on-5 on a Blues team that missed the playoffs.