Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers expected to reconnect and try to finalize a trade they spoke about last season

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Cooper Godin
April 28, 2023 (11:30)

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It's going to be a summer of change in the City of Brotherly Love as General Manager Daniel Briere looks to put his imprint on the Flyers roster.

One name to keep an eye on is veteran forward Kevin Hayes. Prior to the trade deadline and his firing, Chuck Fletcher was reportedly working the phones to facilitate a deal for Hayes and one team he had in-depth discussions with was the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ultimately, nothing came of those talks and shortly after the deadline, the Flyers relieved Fletcher of his duties.

According to Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period, the Flyers are expected to re-engage in trade talks with the Blue Jackets when it comes to Kevin Hayes and are willing to eat $2 million of his $7 million AAV salary.

"Speaking to someone close to the situation on Monday, the Flyers feel that making Hayes a $5 million player is fair value for what he brings on the ice. I don't get the sense that is nonnegotiable on their part, the person I spoke to seemed pretty firm on their belief of what they feel should be retained of Hayes' $7.14 million AAV over the next three seasons.

The same person also told me that the Flyers will revisit trade discussions with Columbus between now and the NHL Draft centered around Hayes." Di Marco said.

Hayes, 30, was one of a few bright spots on the Flyers' roster this season as he set a new career-high in points with 54 and assists with 36. The Dorchester (Massachusetts) native is under contract until after the 2025-26 season and it will be interesting to see if the Flyers are willing to eat $6 million of his salary over the next three seasons in order to move him and capitalize on what value he currently has on the market.

Source: The Fourth Period