Winnipeg Jets: Kevin Hayes would be a significant upgrade at center
The Winnipeg Jets need an upgrade at center. Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers is a perfect fit.
The Winnipeg Jets are an extremely good team. They’re going to have some salary cap issues in the very near future, but for now, very few teams are built to win now better than them. If the Jets are going to go “all in”, this is probably their best year.
The Jets, while a very good team, are still flawed. Their biggest one is down the middle. They were hoping to re-sign Paul Stastny, but the Vegas Golden Knights got him. The Jets never really replaced him.
Look at the recent teams to win the Stanley Cup – the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Los Angeles Kings. Each had extremely good center depth. Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers would give the Jets a huge upgrade.
What Hayes Would Bring To The Jets
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He’d give their already flexible lineup even more flexibility. Hayes has had much of his success at center, but he’s had success over at the wing position too. The Jets could play around with a lineup that puts Blake Wheeler at center (where he had surprising success last season when Mark Scheifele got injured). Versatility is a great thing and Hayes would give Winnipeg even more of it.
In New York, he’s on pace to shatter his previous career highs. Hayes has been a very good, but not great center for the Rangers. This year, he’s elevated his player into the “great” category.
Hayes already has 27 points through 33 games. Only five of those points have come on the power play. His 0.82 points per game rate is the highest of his career. More importantly, Hayes has improved his two-way play and has been trusted early and often by new head coach David Quinn.
As noted earlier, the Jets have very few weaknesses. One of those weaknesses is their five-on-five production. They rank 11th in the NHL in five-on-five goals per hour. That’s pretty darn good, but it could obviously stand to be improved. Hayes would give them a solid boost there. His 2.41 five-on-five points per hour would put him second on the Jets.
The Cost
They say nothing good in life comes for free. There are a few exceptions, but Hayes won’t be one of them. Centers similar to him have commanded huge returns at recent trade deadlines. The St. Louis Blues weren’t able to find much of a market for Paul Stastny last season and the Jets still had to give up a first-round pick to get him.
Working against Winnipeg this time is Hayes is going to have a pretty significant market. He’s the premier center available at the trade deadline. Teams like the Boston Bruins have already been linked to Hayes. Not to mention he’d make sense for a number of other teams.
While the Stastny trade is a good start, the Martin Hanzal trade is probably closer to what Hayes should bring back. A first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a conditional pick. The Rangers would likely want a good prospect instead of the second-round pick, however.
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Winnipeg’s best chance to win is right now. It’s Patrik Laine’s last season as one of the best values in hockey, as he’s going to be a restricted free agent after this season. He’s likely going to command at least $8 million a year and potentially as much as $10 million.