Hayes (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Monday.
Hayes is week-to-week, and his move to the IR list allowed the Penguins to recall Samuel Poulin from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday. The 32-year-old Hayes has three goals, one assist, 15 shots on net and seven hits through 14 outings this season. Valtteri Puustinen will probably continue to see playing time during Hayes' absence, but Poulin could compete for a spot in the lineup.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Deemed week-to-week
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Hayes (upper body) has been downgraded to week-to-week by coach Mike Sullivan, per Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site.
Hayes has already missed the Pens' last two games with an upper-body injury, and it appears he could be slated for an extended absence. The 32-year-old Hayes had three goals and four points in his first 14 games with Pittsburgh. Blake Lizotte figures to remain in the lineup in Hayes' absence.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Out Friday
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Hayes (upper body) won't play Friday against Washington, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
It will be Pittsburgh's second straight game without Hayes. He has three goals and four points in 14 appearances in 2024-25. Hayes will likely serve in a bottom-six capacity once he's healthy.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Unavailable Thursday
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Hayes (upper body) will be absent from the lineup versus Carolina on Thursday, per Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff.
Hayes was likely injured Tuesday in a 4-3 shootout loss to Calgary, as he missed practice the following day. The 32-year-old has three goals and an assist in 14 contests this season. He is day-to-day and could return Friday in Washington.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Dealing with upper-body issue
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Hayes missed practice Wednesday and is being evaluated for an upper-body issue, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.
Hayes started the 2024-25 strong with four points in his first eight games but is currently mired in a six-game drought, during which he has recorded a mere three shots. If Hayes misses any time, Valtteri Puustinen should get back into the lineup unless Bryan Rust (lower body) is cleared to return.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Plucks apple in shootout loss
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Hayes notched an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames.
Hayes set up a Rickard Rakell goal in the third period just after a Penguins power play expired. The helper was Hayes' first of the year to go with three goals through eight contests. The bottom-six forward has added 12 shots on net, five hits and a minus-4 rating. He's a two-time 20-goal scorer, but he'll struggle to reach that mark if he continues to see roughly 10 minutes per game.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Scores power-play goal Sunday
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Hayes scored his third goal of the season in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Jets.
Hayes opened the scoring in the second period after being set up by Rickard Rakell on the man advantage. Hayes added two shots, one hit and a minus-1 rating in 9:54 of ice time. The 32-year-old forward is up to three goals through seven contests, but he's yet to register an assist. Hayes has been fairly durable over the course of his career, so he could push for the 20-goal mark if he can keep his spot on the second power-play unit.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Pots game-winning goal
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Hayes scored a goal on two shots and had two hits in Monday's 6-3 win over the Canadiens.
Hayes potted the game-winning tally early in the third period, when the Penguins ran away from the pesky Habs. It was the second goal of the season for Hayes, who's opened the season on the fourth line and is averaging a career-low 10:36 of ice time.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Nets first goal with new team
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Hayes scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Red Wings.
Hayes provided some insurance in the third period after the Red Wings looked to threaten for a comeback. The 32-year-old was traded to Pittsburgh by St. Louis at the draft in June, and he's now on his third team in three years. Just two years ago, he had 18 goals and 54 points in 81 appearances with the Flyers, but he followed it up with a career-worst 29-point campaign with the Blues in 2023-24. Hayes has played on the fourth line with the Penguins so far, though he's also seeing power-play time that could help him provide decent offense.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Traded to Pittsburgh
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Hayes was traded to Pittsburgh from St. Louis for future considerations Saturday, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
A second-round pick in 2025 goes with him, but it's the dreaded "future considerations" headed the other way in what's ostensibly a salary dump by the Blues. Hayes doesn't do much with the puck. He's not a fast skater, doesn't use his size and can't forecheck. But he can become a bottom-six pivot in Pittsburgh behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as he won't be expected to provide offense.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Inconsistent with Blues
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Hayes posted 13 goals and 16 assists across 79 games during the 2023-24 season.
Hayes centered the third line for most of the campagin, and his limited playing time -- he averaged 14:28 of ice time -- led to the worst scoring performance of his career. The 31-year-old ended up being a healthy scratch three times in April. Hayes has two years remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $3.6 million per year, and the Blues may want that salary off their books as they try to inject youth into their lineup during this rebuild.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Expected to play Thursday
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Hayes (illness) is on track to return to the lineup Thursday in Nashville, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.
Hayes missed practice Wednesday but was back on the ice for morning skate Thursday. He has 13 goals and 16 assists, including five helpers on the power play, in 75 games this season.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Questionable for Thursday
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Hayes is dealing with an illness Wednesday and is questionable for Thursday's game against Nashville, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.
Hayes has 13 goals and 29 points in 75 appearances this season. If he doesn't play Thursday, then Zachary Bolduc might draw back into the lineup.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Scores in win
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Hayes scored the Blues' first goal in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Ducks.
It was Hayes' 13th goal and 27th point of the season. While the totals aren't gaudy, he's on something of a mini-hot streak. In the last four games, he's put up two goals and four points with 12 shots and a plus-5 rating. That's not exactly superstar-level production, but it's a marked improvement for Hayes after he had just one goal and no assists in the 10 games prior to this run.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Goal, assist in win
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Hayes notched a goal and an assist in Monday's 5-1 win over the Bruins.
Hayes extended St. Louis' lead to 3-0 early in the second period, beating Jeremy Swayman off the rush, before adding an assist on Brandon Saad's goal later in the frame. It's the first multi-point game for Hayes since Dec. 23 -- he has just two goals and five points in his last 24 contests. The 31-year-old center is up to 12 goals and 25 points through 65 appearances this season.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Long goal drought finally ends
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Hayes scored on one of his four shots during Monday's 2-1 shootout win over the Flyers.
Hayes has been mired in a lengthy goal drought. Prior to Monday's game, Hayes went 19 games without a goal. During that time, he had just two assists. It's been a tough season all around for Hayes, who has just 11 goals and 23 points through 60 games after posting 18 tallies and 54 points in 81 appearances with the Flyers a year ago.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Produces helper in overtime win
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Hayes logged an assist and two hits in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Canucks.
Hayes has just two points over 13 games since the holiday break. The 31-year-old has been stuck in a third-line role, and a lack of offense is unlikely to help him get a promotion if a lineup shuffle occurs. Hayes has 21 points, 84 shots on net, 23 hits and a minus-1 rating through 46 appearances, so most fantasy managers can do better when looking for center depth.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Nets 10th goal of season
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Hayes scored a goal on five shots and added two hits in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.
Hayes snapped a couple of droughts with his first-period tally -- he'd gone 10 games without a goal and seven contests without a point prior to Saturday. The 31-year-old center has been just alright in his first year with the Blues, racking up 10 goals, 10 assists, 78 shots on net and a minus-2 rating through 41 appearances. He'll likely continue to see middle-six minutes and some power-play time.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: One of each in overtime win
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Hayes recorded a goal, an assist and four shots in the Blues' 4-3 overtime win over the Stars on Saturday.
Hayes finished a goal that rebounded off the end boards to give the Blues a 3-2 lead. He also picked up a helper on Brandon Saad's goal. Hayes is starting to heat up offensively, scoring four points in his last three games. He is now up to nine goals and 16 points through 30 contests this campaign. The former Flyer should continue to play on the third line and second power-play unit.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: One of each in win
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Hayes scored a goal and dished out an assist in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Sabres.
Hayes is skating on the second line and the second power-play unit. He has put forth modest returns with 11 points and 34 shots on net through 22 games. The 31-year-old forward won't be easy to depend on for fantasy purposes with 14:40 of ice time per game, but it wouldn't be surprising if he improved a bit considering he posted 54 points -- 16 with the man advantage -- through 81 games last year.
