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JETS TRADE: Get Hayes, Hendricks, Beaulieu


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MURAT ATES: Other than Mark Stone, Kevin Hayes was the best forward fit available to the Jets and they picked him up for an extremely manageable price.

In Hayes, Winnipeg gets a big, strong center who saw his role expand in a big way for New York this season — and proved to be up to the task. As the Rangers continued to rebuild, Hayes was a boost to every teammate’s possession numbers, kept a clean defensive zone, and scored at a 68 point pace while he did it.

Whenever a player’s offensive numbers explode, you try to investigate how he did it. In Hayes’ case, a big part came from his career high ice time of 19:27 per game — time that he’s unlikely to get in Winnipeg. More importantly, it came from meaningful play driving and not puck luck — Hayes’ on-ice shooting percentage (9.2%) and his own shooting percentage (11.8%) are both below his career averages.

To think Winnipeg acquired a player talented enough to produce with skill and responsible enough to help in terms of possession — exactly what they needed — for Lemieux, a late first round pick, and a Cup-conditional fourth round pick strikes me as a clear win. He’s not the biggest fish, but he’ll help the Jets where it counts.

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SCOTT BURNSIDE: The Jets needed help down the middle and Hayes provides that in spades. We spoke with both an NHL executive and longtime scout recently and both raved about Hayes and his potential impact on the Jets. He kills penalties, takes critical draws, has power play up-side, is committed defensively, is very big at 6-foot-5 and playing for a contract as a potential unrestricted free agent. What’s not to love if you’re the Jets? Rangers GM Jeff Gorton did a good job of maximizing the return for Hayes. But the Jets knew if they were going to get an impact player it would cost a first-round pick and Hayes also cost tenacious Lemieux, who should thrive under David Quinn in New York. There’s also the fourth-round pick in 2022 that will go to the Rangers if the Jets win their first-ever Stanley Cup. Don’t think Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will mind paying that price if it comes to pass. And the chances of this happening got a whole lot better thanks to this deal.

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CRAIG CUSTANCE: The significance of this trade is not just that the Jets are adding a versatile forward with size in Hayes, it’s that they’re likely out on Mark Stone who seemed like such a nice fit in Winnipeg. The Rangers did well to get a first-round pick in a trade market where teams haven’t necessarily been handing them out for rentals but when you strip away the conditional pick and a player in Lemieux who is likely a third-liner, this is essentially a late first-round pick for a player who is a great fit. Considering the price Columbus paid for Matt Duchene and the presumed ask on Stone, this is completely reasonable for the Jets. And it puts even more pressure on Nashville to make a move.

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TYLER DELLOW: Jets fans were probably a little bit like expectant parents heading into today, only instead of a happy “It’s a girl,” they were hoping to hear “It’s a Mark Stone.” With that expectation in mind, this is a bit of a let down as it would seem to take Winnipeg out of the Stone bidding. That said, Hayes does seem like a very nice fit for the Jets. He makes it a little easier for Winnipeg to construct three lines that give the opposition pause. The Jets have been kind of unnervingly average this year at 5-on-5 and, while Hayes will help, he’s not transformative.

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ERIC DUHATSCHEK: Kevin Hayes fills an obvious need for the Jets, for a second-line centre that can play the part that Paul Stastny played on last year’s team that advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup semi-final. In fact, I would call Hayes an upgrade on Stastny because of his size. When you add his 6-foot-5 frame to a lineup that already includes skill and size in Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and others, they become the most physically imposing team in the Western Conference – in addition to all of that skill. The price didn’t seem all that high either – a low first-round pick, which had been in play for weeks, plus a player, Lemieux, whose stock has risen enormously since getting a chance to play more regularly in the NHL of late. Given how little he plays (7:25 per night), nine goals in 44 games is a pretty astonishing total. His dad, Claude, used to terrorize the Rangers when he was with New Jersey. The Rangers must be happy to have the next generation on their side.

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DOM LUSZCZYSZYN: Fit-wise, Kevin Hayes is a perfect addition to the Jets, just as Stastny was last season – and we all saw how that move worked out. The issue in Winnipeg is that the forward group is loaded on the wings (making the more talented Stone slightly redundant), but has a hole at 2C behind Scheifele. Bryan Little has regained part of his scoring prowess this season, but his play-driving ability has slipped in three consecutive seasons. The Jets have been both out-shot (minus-81 Corsi) and out-scored (minus-eight goals) with Little on the ice this season at 5-on-5. For a team with contending aspirations, that’s simply not acceptable for a second line.

Hayes should mitigate that problem if he can continue to play at the level he’s showed this season where he’s thrived despite playing on a bad Rangers team. However, he doesn’t really have a history of doing so aside from this season, a season where his most common linemate is Chris Kreider, making this move a slight gamble. With Winnipeg’s wing depth, it’s not too pressing of a concern, but if the plan is to play him with Patrik Laine, the team will need a strong two-way presence on the left side to make the line work effectively – otherwise, it might be more of the same as it was with Little. At the very least, even if the defensive issues remain, Hayes should be able to help offensively more than Little has. Over the past two seasons, Hayes’ points-per-60 at 5-on-5 is 2.07 to Little’s 1.71.

As for the price, it’s not too bad either considering Lemieux’s numbers are inflated by percentages and doesn’t project to be much, and the first will likely be a late pick. For Winnipeg, the time to win is now and that’s the price the Jets have to pay to get there. For the Rangers, getting a first is a solid get.

https://theathletic.com/836868/2019/02/25/roundtable-reaction-breaking-down-the-kevin-hayes-trade-to-the-jets/

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6 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Good, unspectacular day is actually pretty apt.............Chevy did well today in not giving up a whole lot but gaining a lot of intangibles and "potentially really good" pieces...

My thoughts exactly.  Got one of the best pieces available.  Some cheap D depth that were not committed to.  Some housekeeping (Jets do well at keeping contract space...what team was it this week who was close to the max?).  They're in a good position to actually be active if they want to this summer.

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