The news broke fast Tuesday afternoon, first from Daily Faceoff and then confirmed by Spittin' Chiclets: Kevin Hayes is done in the NHL, at least for now, and he's headed to Russia to keep playing hockey.
Veteran NHLer Kevin Hayes signs one-year contract in KHL t.co/C6AqTpfziu
Hayes, 34, just wrapped up a rough final act in the NHL. He played only 28 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, scoring 4 goals and tallying 8 points as a depth forward buried on the bottom lines. That's a steep fall for a guy who was once a $50 million player.
Go back to 2019 and Hayes was cashing in on a 7-year, $50 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers that carried a $7.14 million cap hit. That contract got messy — the Flyers traded him to St. Louis in 2023 and had to retain half his salary just to make the numbers work. The deal finally expired July 1, and instead of a bidding war for his services, Hayes found himself an unrestricted free agent with limited NHL interest.
The career arc is a wild one. Chicago drafted him 24th overall back in 2010, but he never suited up for the Blackhawks — he debuted with the Rangers in 2014 instead and bounced through Winnipeg, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Pittsburgh over 12 seasons, racking up 805 games, 185 goals and 445 points along the way.
Hayesy is KHL bound 👀🛩️
Now it's Ak Bars Kazan, where Hayes will reportedly line up alongside other former NHLers looking for a second act overseas. It's become a familiar landing spot for veterans who've fallen out of favor in North America but still want real minutes and real money rather than riding the wave as a healthy scratch.
Whether this is a one-year pit stop or the actual end of Hayes' NHL career remains the real question. Plenty of guys have used the KHL as a launching pad back to North America when their stock ticks back up — but plenty of others never come back at all.