It was abundantly clear that the Philadelphia Flyers would try to find a new home for Kevin Hayes this summer. On Saturday afternoon, they looked set to send the 31-year-old center to the St. Louis Blues. Now, however, the trade appears to be in limbo. Here’s what you need to know:
- According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations, the rebuilding Flyers – who already sent No. 1 defender Ivan Provorov earlier this month – planned to send Hayes and defender Travis Sanheim to the Blues as part of the deal. ‘OK. Philadelphia would retain a “meaningful” portion of Hayes’ $7.14 million cap for the next three seasons in trade to make the finances more palatable to St. Louis.
- The Flyers, under NHL rules, can keep up to 50% of Hayes’ cap in each of his remaining years.
- Several sources with direct knowledge of the trade negotiations said Athleticism that a Blues defenseman was supposed to go to the Flyers with a first-round pick in exchange for Hayes (with retention) and Sanheim. One of the sources said the Blues player has invoked his no-trade clause and therefore the future of the deal is unclear.
AthleticismInstant analysis of:
Why the Flyers would do this job
As for Sanheim, it was signed to a massive eight-year, $50 million extension off its own back on Oct. 13 last year by then-general manager Chuck Fletcher — shortly before the go-live. game 1 of the Flyers’ 2022-23 season – but while the deal includes a full no-trade clause, it doesn’t go into effect until July 1, when the contract officially begins. New general manager Daniel Briere has since pivoted to a full-fledged rebuilding strategy for the Flyers, making Sanheim a less than perfect fit given his age (27) and the length of his impending contract.
Hayes is coming off a strong statistical season for the Flyers, finishing with 18 goals and 54 points in 81 games — the second-highest single-season point total of his career — and making his first-ever appearance in an All-Star Game. But he struggled to stay in the good books of Philadelphia coach John Tortorella, who once sat him down like a healthy scratch and also steered him away from his natural center-to-wing position during long periods. Sanheim, a second pair stalwart for the Flyers for years, struggled under Tortorella in 2022-23, having delivered arguably the best season of his career in 2021-22. — O’Connor
Who is the heist with the Blues?
There are five defenders on the list with either a full no-trade clause or an amended no-trade clause in their contracts.
Players without a full trade are Torey Krug, Colton Parayko, Nick Leddy and Justin Faulk. Athleticism confirmed that none of Parayko, Leddy or Faulk have been asked to waive their clause, which would be required for the Blues to complete a deal.
Marco Scandella has a modified no-trade clause, which allows him to provide the Blues with a list of seven teams he cannot be dealt to. Philadelphia isn’t on Scandella’s list, so he can’t veto a transfer to the Flyers.
That leaves Krug, 32, who played the first nine seasons of his career with Boston before signing a seven-year, $45.5 million free agent contract with St. Louis in 2020, a year after the fall. Bruins against the Blues in the Stanley Cup. Final.
Krug wanted to play under a winner in St. Louis, and while that didn’t work out as expected, agreeing to a deal with a rebuilding Philadelphia franchise may not be attractive for a player who still has four years left on his current contract and who will do it. be 36 years old when it expires.
Krug did not immediately return a message from Athleticism. —Rutherford
Where does that leave the Blues?
If the deal is finally finalized, it looks like it will be much smaller than originally expected. Names like Sanheim, Tony DeAngelo and Scott Laughton have been mentioned before, but now it could just be Hayes.
The problem is Hayes’ contract, which, as mentioned, has three years left with a cap of $7.14 million. Even if Philadelphia keeps some of it, it looks like the Blues should send their salary back to the Flyers.
The Blues seem open to including one of their final first-round draft picks – No. 25, which they acquired from Toronto in the trade with Ryan O’Reilly or No. 29, who they got from the New York Rangers as part of the deal with Vladimir Tarasenko. . But for their part, the Blues would not need a larger package than Hayes for a first-round pick to financially compensate for the trade. It’s likely, then, that the Blues will work to find a third team that could be included, which could be Krug’s eventual destination should he waive his no-trade clause and approve the deal. — Rutherford
Required reading
(Photo: Bill Streicher/USA Today)