That Coyle is arguably the top name set to be available at the center position in the upcoming UFA class speaks to two realities the NHL is dealing with: first, true top-six centers are an exceedingly rare commodity. Second, it\u2019s especially uncommon to find them available on the free agent market.<\/p>\n
Of course, that doesn\u2019t mean Coyle isn\u2019t a strong player in his own right. The Massachusetts native has enjoyed a resurgent year with the Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been the club\u2019s No. 3 center this season, behind veteran Sean Monahan<\/a> and 2023 No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli<\/a>, but has outscored both of the pivots ahead of him on the depth chart.<\/p>\n Through 66 games, Coyle has managed 16 goals and 51 points, which is a 20-goal, 63-point 82-game pace.<\/p>\n If he can keep up this pace, he\u2019ll set a new career-high in points production at the age of 34. In a league where the demand for quality centers often outpaces the supply, Coyle is well-positioned, despite his age, to cash in on the open market.<\/p>\n Beyond his offensive production, he offers a well-regarded two-way game. He\u2019s been the top penalty-killing center for Columbus this season, and once received a fourth-place Selke Trophy vote as a member of the Boston Bruins.<\/p>\n As a free agent, Coyle represents a safer bet to provide steady, immediate contributions on both ends of the ice than perhaps any other free agent center available. While teams are likely to have some wariness to invest in him due to his age, the way he\u2019s bounced back after an uneven 2024-25 season has demonstrably elevated his stock entering his free agency. AFP Analytics projects<\/a> Coyle to receive a three-year, $5.8MM AAV deal.<\/p>\n Evgeni Malkin<\/a>, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n Whether Malkin will actually remain on this list or instead sign an extension to remain in Pittsburgh figures to be one of the major storylines to track in Pittsburgh over the next few months. The Athletic\u2019s Josh Yohe relayed word<\/a> from Malkin\u2019s agent, J.P. Barry of CAA, that Malkin would have a face-to-face meeting with Penguins GM Kyle Dubas to discuss his future. Since that point, nothing concrete about Malkin\u2019s status has been reported. Yohe reported that, \u201cas of last summer,\u201d the Penguins had decided Malkin would not be a part of the team\u2019s plans past the expiration of his current contract.<\/p>\n The key question, then, is whether the Penguins\u2019 team-wide resurgence this season, as well as notably improved play from Malkin, has changed the team\u2019s mind in any way. There are undoubtedly key voices in Pittsburgh who would like to see Malkin return, the most likely of those being captain and franchise face Sidney Crosby<\/a>.<\/p>\n While Crosby, as an active player, of course does not have any direct decision-making power within hockey operations, it has been widely reported that his input and influence is one Penguins management often considers. Additionally, Malkin himself has indicated<\/a> that he would like to remain in Pittsburgh beyond this season, and feels he has earned another deal.<\/p>\n There is also public sentiment to consider. Malkin is a legendary figure in Pittsburgh, and the team risks deflating much of the positive momentum it has built over the last year if Malkin walks as a free agent. With that said, there is an argument in Pittsburgh to consider that the team\u2019s future would be better-served turning over the valuable minutes Malkin plays to a younger player, such as breakout rookie Benjamin Kindel<\/a>.<\/p>\n As far as Malkin is concerned, all he has done in 2025-26 (outside of a poor lapse in judgment that resulted in a five-game suspension<\/a>) is improve his stock heading into free agency. The 40-year-old has 47 points in 46 games, his first season of point-per-game scoring since 2022-23. His ability to elevate his linemates, something that has defined his play throughout his career, is still intact. Nowhere has that been more evident than his chemistry with in-season trade addition Egor Chinakhov<\/a>, who has 11 goals and 21 points in 28 games as a Penguin. He had six points in 29 games this season before joining with Malkin.<\/p>\n Given Malkin\u2019s age, it\u2019s extremely unlikely he\u2019d receive much term on his next deal, and could very well be at the stage of his career where he\u2019s only playing on one-year deals. AFP Analytics projects<\/a> the value of his extension at $6.7MM, which would actually be a pay raise over the $6.1MM AAV he\u2019s costing this season.<\/p>\n The Solid Contributors<\/p>\n Boone Jenner<\/a>, Columbus Blue Jackets<\/p>\n In a thin center market, players such as Jenner enter free agency under extremely favorable conditions. While he\u2019s never been a top scorer, the 32-year-old has long been one of the game\u2019s most reliable two-way centers. He provides the Blue Jackets with strong work at the faceoff dot and valuable leadership qualities as their captain, as well as solid secondary scoring.<\/p>\n Jenner struggled with injuries over the last few years, but has found a way to remain productive. He scored 22 goals and 35 points in 58 games in 2023-24, and had 19 points in 26 games last season. He\u2019s scored at least 20 goals on four occasions, and has hit at least 35 points five times.<\/p>\n This season, Jenner\u2019s stock is trending in a neutral direction. He\u2019s kept up his usual scoring rate, potting nine goals and 29 points in 51 games. That\u2019s a 14-goal, 47-point 82-game scoring pace. He\u2019s also kept up a role on Columbus\u2019 penalty kill, though he\u2019s not winning quite as many draws as he typically does.<\/p>\n The key storyline regarding Jenner this season has been how the Blue Jackets\u2019 enviable depth at the center position has impacted his role. Where he once received middle-six or even top-six deployment in Columbus, he\u2019s now been relegated to No. 4 center duty when all of Fantilli, Monahan, and Coyle are healthy.<\/p>\n Last season, Jenner averaged 18 minutes of time on ice per game, good for No. 3 among Blue Jackets forwards. The year before, he was Columbus\u2019 most heavily-utilized forward. This season, he\u2019s averaging 16:09 time on ice per game, which ranks No. 6 on the team.<\/p>\n While his points production does not appear to have been impacted, his declining role is something interested teams will have to interrogate when deciding whether to pursue him in free agency. Is it more of a matter of the Blue Jackets becoming uncharacteristically deep at the center position, something they were not known for for much of Jenner\u2019s career? Or is it an early sign of age-related decline for the 32-year-old? That is the key question teams will have to answer when considering Jenner\u2019s free agency case. AFP Analytics projects<\/a> a $5.2MM AAV for Jenner on a three-year term.<\/p>\n Jonathan Toews<\/a>, Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n The legendary Chicago Blackhawks forward returned after a two-year absence to join his hometown Jets, but things have not gone according to plan in Manitoba. Last season\u2019s Presidents\u2019 Trophy winners have fallen down the league standings this season, and are more likely than not going to miss the upcoming playoffs.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s essential to note that Toews is deserving of an immense amount of respect for returning to the NHL and occupying a regular role given the serious health challenges he faced, most would acknowledge he\u2019s not the same player that starred in Chicago. If he elects to continue his career beyond this season, his free agent market is likely to reflect his current capabilities, rather than what he has achieved previously.<\/p>\n Some of what made Toews so effective previously remains intact. The Selke Trophy winner is still lethal at the faceoff dot, winning 61.6% of his draws this season. That\u2019s the top rate in the NHL among regular centers. While he\u2019s no longer a penalty killer, he still presents considerable value for key defensive-zone faceoffs, or in any case when winning a faceoff and establishing puck protection is crucial.<\/p>\n Toews\u2019 offense hasn\u2019t been at the level of prior years of his career. He has seven goals and 21 points in 65 games this season, despite averaging nearly two minutes of ice time on the power play per game. At this stage of his career, Toews\u2019 value proposition to NHL teams is clear: he\u2019s a trusted defensive center who presents an immense amount of value as a veteran leader, even if his on-ice production is now more muted. A one-year deal around his current cap hit of $2MM, perhaps laden with some bonuses, appears to be a fair expectation for Toews if he elects to continue his career.<\/p>\n Scott Laughton<\/a>, Los Angeles Kings<\/p>\n If he had been able to hit the UFA market during his final few years as a member of the Flyers, it\u2019s likely Laughton would have received interest from across the NHL. The 2012 first-round pick developed into one of the NHL\u2019s better defensive centers over the course of his time in Philadelphia. By his late twenties, Laughton was scoring around 35 to 40 points per season, and even earned a Selke Trophy vote for his defensive play and contributions as a leading penalty killer.<\/p>\n It\u2019s those on-ice qualities, as well as his reputation as a valuable veteran leader, that made the Toronto Maple Leafs interested enough to surrender a first-round pick along with prospect Nikita Grebenkin<\/a> in order to acquire Laughton. On a team desperate to make a deep playoff run, Laughton reverted into being more of a defensive specialist, scoring just six points across 33 combined regular-season and playoff contests with the Maple Leafs.<\/p>\n Playing on a team more fully-stocked with offensive weapons compared to the Flyers made an impact on Laughton\u2019s scoring. While he was once good for at least 30, and as many as 43, points in a season, he saw his production dry up in Toronto. Before his trade at the recent trade deadline to the Kings, Laughton managed just 12 points in 43 games for the Maple Leafs.<\/p>\n Since his trade to Los Angeles, Laughton has managed to score twice and register three points in five games. The fact that Laughton only netted the Maple Leafs a third-round pick just a year after he was worth a first-rounder suggests that his stock has declined somewhat.<\/p>\n With that said, he has a clear opportunity ahead of him in Los Angeles to re-write the book on him entering free agency, where he could be poised to sign a life-changing contract as a soon-to-be 32-year-old free agent. Laughton\u2019s current contract carries a $3MM AAV, and his tenure with the Kings (and whether it contains a playoff run) will go a long way in determining what kind of raise, if any, he\u2019ll receive over that cap hit on his next deal.<\/p>\n The Role Players<\/p>\n Jason Dickinson<\/a>, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n Although he\u2019s not the scorer anymore that he was very early in his tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks, Dickinson is valuable enough to be the centerpiece of a deal that netted Chicago a first-round pick at the recent trade deadline. His game fits the mold of many of the other names on this list: he\u2019s a 30-year-old defensive specialist offering size, two-way responsibility, some moderate ability at the faceoff dot, and some Selke Trophy votes in his past.<\/p>\n The key for Dickinson, entering this summer\u2019s free agent market, is his performance in what the Oilers hope will be a lengthy playoff run. If the Oilers\u2019 past two playoff runs are any indication, Dickinson may yet get the chance to showcase his talents on some of the game\u2019s biggest stages. As Connor McDavid<\/a> chases that Stanley Cup championship that has thus far eluded him in his career, Dickinson could end up playing a high-profile reserve role. When the Oilers have to kill a penalty in a big moment in a game, or defend a narrow lead, it\u2019s likely Dickinson\u2019s skates will hit the ice.<\/p>\n While Edmonton could very well end up disappointing in the playoffs (they have been more uneven in 2025-26 than prior years), it\u2019s clear what Dickinson has done this season for the Blackhawks is likely to be less relevant for his free agent case than what he could be set to do for the Oilers.<\/p>\n Colton Sissons<\/a>, Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n With nearly 700 games played entirely for one team, the Nashville Predators, this season has been one of real change for Sissons. He\u2019s playing for a new NHL organization for the first time in his professional career, and is also slated to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. Sissons\u2019 last contract, signed by Hall of Fame GM David Poile, came all the way back in 2019, and locked Sissons into a $2.85MM AAV contract with a seven-year term.<\/p>\n For six of those seven years, Sissons was a key bottom-six piece for the Predators. He was a reliable defensive presence, regularly killing penalties. Later in his Predators tenure, he even developed real credibility as a secondary scorer, registering a career-high 15 goals and 35 points in 2023-24. Sissons was not immune from Nashville\u2019s team-wide struggles last season, and he also dealt with an injury.<\/p>\n He was then traded to Vegas, and while Sissons has maintained his status as a capable defensive fourth-line center, his offensive production has not rebounded to the level of earlier years in his career.<\/p>\n That Sissons will enter the market now two seasons removed from back-to-back years with at least 30 points is notable, as is the fact that he\u2019s only scored nine points in 51 games as a Golden Knight.<\/p>\n He remains a key penalty killer in Vegas, but his offensive decline likely means his path towards earning a pay raise from his current $2.85MM AAV is considerably more narrow.<\/p>\n Alexander Kerfoot<\/a>, Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n Heading into unrestricted free agency this summer, it\u2019s clear the last two years have not been entirely kind to Kerfoot. During his one year with the since-relocated Arizona Coyotes, he scored a career-high 45 points, reminding the league of the player he was earlier in his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a player who has hit the 40-point plateau four times, but in Utah, that level of production has been nowhere to be found. Last season, he scored 11 goals and 28 points, his lowest result as a scorer, on a points-per-game basis, since entering the NHL. This season, Kerfoot has just four points in 19 games as he missed most of the first few months of the season with an injury.<\/p>\n In Utah, Kerfoot has morphed from being a steady middle-six two-way forward into more of a defensive specialist. He ranked second among all Utah forwards in short-handed time on ice per game last season, and has maintained a regular penalty-kill role this season. But his average ice time per game overall is down to just 11:13 per game, a steep decline from last season where he averaged 15:15 per game.<\/p>\n The injuries and inability to score on a consistent basis have likely damaged Kerfoot\u2019s earning potential as a free agent. With that said, his stellar resume prior to arriving in Utah makes him an intriguing buy-low candidate for teams interested in strengthening their center position.<\/p>\n Kevin Stenlund<\/a>, Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n Stenlund played 19 games in the AHL in 2022-23, and was viewed as somewhat on the NHL-AHL bubble. The Florida Panthers saw something in the 6\u20193\u2033 Swede, though, and elected to sign the center with the plan of including him in their NHL plans. That move proved to be a great one for the Panthers, as Stenlund scored a career-high 11 goals and helped the franchise win its first-ever Stanley Cup championship.<\/p>\n He was able to cash in after that victory, earning a two-year, $2MM AAV deal with the Mammoth. He\u2019s further elevated his stock in Utah, and at 29 years old, is poised to once again cash in as a free agent. Stenlund offers size, defensive ability, and some secondary goal-scoring qualities. Stenlund has been an excellent faceoff taker in Utah, winning 59.2% of his draws last season and 54.8% this season.<\/p>\n The key storyline to track for what remains of this season as far as Stenlund is concerned is his shooting. After scoring 14 goals and 28 points last season, Stenlund has managed only four goals this year. His shooting percentage has dropped from 13.7% to 7.3% year-over-year. If he can get some puck luck in what remains of the season, or at least help the Mammoth go on a real playoff run, he could enter this summer in very good shape.<\/p>\n Mark Jankowski<\/a>, Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n Despite a trade sending him from Nashville to Carolina, Jankowski has maintained the traits in his game that have allowed him to carve out a nearly 500-game NHL career. The 6\u20194\u2033 forward has the versatility to play both center and on the wings, can contribute as a secondary penalty killer, and offers the kind of size teams covet in fourth-line players.<\/p>\n Though he\u2019s not an overly physical player, with just 33 hits to his name this season, he\u2019s earned a regular role in head coach Rod Brind\u2019Amour\u2019s lineup, and is likely to add to his 23 games of career playoff experience later this season. While he\u2019s likely to earn only a modest pay raise, perhaps in the $1MM to $1.25MM range at most, he could stand to earn even more depending on how the Hurricanes fare \u2013 perhaps experiencing something similar to what Stenlund experienced during his free agency after winning the Stanley Cup with the Panthers.<\/p>\n Teddy Blueger<\/a>, Vancouver Canucks<\/p>\n Blueger, 31, has only played in 19 games this season, so he hasn\u2019t amassed a huge sample of data points that could heavily impact his stock heading into free agency. With that said, his performance in those 19 games for the Canucks has been strong, scoring six goals and 11 points to go along with the defensive and penalty-killing contributions teams have grown to expect from Blueger at this stage of his career.<\/p>\n The development this season (or lack thereof) that is most likely to impact his upcoming free agency is the absence of a trade to a contending team. While playing out the string on a basement-dwelling Vancouver Canucks team likely means Blueger will receive more substantial minutes than he\u2019d receive on a contender, it also means teams will approach any increased scoring he achieves this season with a clear caveat: he was producing within a workload he\u2019d be unlikely to replicate in a playoff-bound lineup.<\/p>\n One could argue Blueger\u2019s upcoming free agency would be better-served by him showcasing his talents in a fourth-line role for a contender, the kind of role most teams targeting him would pencil him into. But a trade didn\u2019t materialize for him, and as a result, the best thing he can do is continue to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him in British Columbia.<\/p>\n Tyson Jost<\/a>, Nashville Predators<\/p>\n The status of the No. 10 pick from the 2016 draft as an NHL player looked to be on shaky ground for the last few years, as Jost found himself on waivers repeatedly and lost his grip on a regular NHL role. He bounced between teams, and even saw time in the AHL in each of the last two seasons.<\/p>\n When the Predators signed Jost this past summer, the fact that the deal was of a two-way structure (albeit with a massive $600K guarantee) was notable \u2013 it was the first time in Jost\u2019s NHL career, since his league-mandated entry-level contract, that he would play out a season on a two-way contract. That\u2019s reflective of where his stock was at that point: in real decline.<\/p>\n While Jost hasn\u2019t had an exceptional campaign by any means, his 2025-26 season has been a useful one as it has re-established him as a regular NHL player. He\u2019s gotten into 52 games for the Predators, thus far avoiding any stints in the AHL. He\u2019s playing a fourth-line role, but is getting some secondary penalty-killing time. His 11 points in 52 games aren\u2019t on the high-end for a fourth-liner, but his ability to both earn, and hold, the trust of head coach Andrew Brunette is something that will help him return to one-way contracts this summer.<\/p>\n Adam Henrique<\/a>, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n For much of his over 1,000 game NHL career, Henrique was a prototypical middle-six center, someone capable of producing secondary offense while holding down a staunch defensive role. Those days are in the past, as Henrique\u2019s offensive production has fallen to the wayside. He scored 51 points in 2023-24, but has not been able to reach those heights as an Oiler. He scored 12 goals and 27 points last season, but has just two goals and 10 points in 50 games this year.<\/p>\n At 36 years old, Henrique is inching closer towards the end of his career. That\u2019s not to say he doesn\u2019t have gas left in the tank, of course, but teams will have to be measured in their approach to him this summer, given how much of an impact age appears to have had on him as an Oiler.<\/p>\n He\u2019s still a valued veteran who has helped the Oilers win back-to-back Clarence S. Campbell bowls, and still regularly kills penalties in Edmonton. But at this stage, he\u2019s a veteran fourth-line option, rather than the kind of middle-six two-way player he once was.<\/p>\n Lars Eller<\/a>, Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n Eller is in many ways similar to Henrique, only he\u2019s now playing his second consecutive year in the role Henrique now finds himself in. Eller, who turns 37 in May, is the Senators\u2019 No. 4 center. He is a secondary penalty killer for the team, wins 57.5% of his draws, and costs just $1.25MM against the cap.<\/p>\n The offense he once showed, particularly as a third-line center on contending Washington Capitals teams, is no longer part of his game. But he\u2019s shown this season that he can still hold down a role as a fourth-line center, and entering free agency, if he wants to continue his NHL career, he can expect to be compensated as one. The Senators\u2019 late push for a chance to return to the playoffs will be a storyline to watch as it relates to Eller\u2019s free agency.<\/p>\n Rodrigo Abols<\/a>, Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n Abols, 30, has been a nice find for the Flyers\u2019 scouting staff, turning into a legitimate NHL depth piece after four years as a solid SHL center. The 6\u20194\u2033 pivot showed flashes of NHL potential in Europe and on the international stage, perhaps nowhere more than during Latvia\u2019s historic bronze medal run at the 2023 IIHF Men\u2019s World Championships. 2025-26 looked like it could be a big year for Abols. He split last season between the NHL and AHL, playing 47 games with AHL Lehigh Valley and 22 games with the Flyers.<\/p>\n This season, Abols has been able to carve out a regular role as the Flyers\u2019 No. 4 center, and has thus far avoided reassignment to the AHL.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unfortunate for Abols, then, that his momentum (especially from early in the season) was cut short by a lower-body injury.<\/p>\n He\u2019s been out since January, and it\u2019s unclear when, or if, he\u2019ll be able to return this season. While the injury has cost him the chance to build an even stronger free agency case, the fact that he\u2019s currently playing on a one-way $800K deal suggests he should at least be in a position to earn a one-way contract for next season.<\/p>\n David Kampf<\/a>, Washington Capitals<\/p>\n Kampf, 31, found himself outside the Maple Leafs\u2019 NHL plans early this season, and made the decision to terminate his contract in an effort to find an NHL role with a team. He latched on with the Canucks, and occupied his normal role as a fourth-line pivot and penalty-killer, something that earned him a trade to the Washington Capitals. He has yet to make his debut in Washington, and Washington faces long odds to return to the postseason.<\/p>\n But given the Capitals\u2019 consistency as a regular in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it could be in Kampf\u2019s best interest to sign an extension in Washington in order to potentially secure the fourth-line center role with the team. That\u2019s a role Nic Dowd<\/a> occupied to great success in recent years, and it\u2019s one Kampf could find some stability in if he\u2019s able to earn the trust of Washington\u2019s coaches and management.<\/p>\n Curtis Lazar<\/a>, Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n Lazar took a pay cut last summer to sign with the Oilers, going from a $1MM AAV on his last deal to a league-minimum $775K this year. Injuries have stymied him over the last two seasons, as he managed just five points and 48 games for the Devils last season, and is currently out on a week-to-week basis this season.<\/p>\n He did score a healthy 25 points in 71 games for New Jersey in 2023-24, showing himself to be the kind of high-energy, physical fourth-liner teams often covet in those roles. This season with the Oilers has been more like his 2024-25 than his 2023-24, and as a result, Lazar isn\u2019t heading into free agency in the strongest position. As with most players, though, a deep playoff run could always help change that.<\/p>\n Sam Lafferty<\/a>, Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n When Lafferty was last with the Blackhawks, he proved himself to be a strong enough bottom-six center to be included in the Maple Leafs\u2019 Jake McCabe<\/a> trade, a deal that net Chicago first and second-round picks, among other assets. He was held in high enough regard to earn a $2MM AAV two-year contract in the summer of 2024, but he\u2019s unlikely to receive that kind of deal this upcoming summer.<\/p>\n Lafferty averaged 13:15 time on ice per game, including sporadic usage on both sides of special teams, in 2022-23 with the Maple Leafs. The following year, he played a regular fourth-line role on a strong Canucks team, scoring a career-high 13 goals. Since signing his deal with the Sabres, Lafferty\u2019s scoring has all but disappeared, and with it, his regular NHL role.<\/p>\n He managed just seven points in 60 games last season, and has just two points this year. He\u2019s been a regular healthy scratch for the Blackhawks this season, and is averaging just 8:36 time on ice per game in contests he dresses for this season. On a per-game basis, he\u2019s receiving a lighter workload than any other Blackhawks forward.<\/p>\n As a result, his stock is unquestionably trending in the wrong direction heading into free agency. In any case, he has accomplished enough as a bottom-six player over his nearly 400-game NHL career to suggest he will still receive a shot to earn an NHL role with a team for next season.<\/p>\n Others Of Note<\/p>\n Jonny Brodzinski<\/a>, New York Rangers<\/p>\n Since he got into 35 NHL games with the 2017-18 Los Angeles Kings, Brodzinski has lived in one of the more volatile positions a pro hockey player can occupy: a place on the NHL-AHL bubble. He\u2019s both captained AHL teams and played in NHL playoff games, but over the last two years, Brodzinski appears to have put his AHL days behind him.<\/p>\n After getting into the first playoff games of his career during the Rangers\u2019 runs to the Eastern Conference Final, Brodzinski has carved out a full-time NHL role over the last two years as a versatile thirteenth forward option. He scored a career-high 12 goals in 2024-25, doing so in just 51 games. That\u2019s a 19-goal 82-game scoring pace.<\/p>\n Had he been a free agent last summer, he could have earned a decent short-term guarantee. But he\u2019s not been able to sustain his goal scoring this season, and as a result, the 32-year-old\u2019s stock has to be considered to be down.<\/p>\n Kevin Hayes<\/a>, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n A player who has hit at least 40 points in a season six times, Hayes was once a well-regarded middle-six offensive piece. He netted a first-round pick for the Rangers as a trade deadline asset in 2019, and signed a hefty free agent deal with the Philadelphia Flyers afterwards.<\/p>\n After scoring 54 points in 2022-23, Hayes was traded to the Blues, where he only managed 13 goals and 29 points in 2023-24. The Blues paid a second-round pick to the Penguins in order to rid themselves of Hayes\u2019 cap hit, and he has been unable to restore his prior status as a middle-six scorer in Pennsylvania. Hayes\u2019 struggles as a Penguin (just five points in 25 games this season) leave him in a curious spot.<\/p>\n He\u2019s an offensive player who built an entirely respectable NHL career as a scoring forward, but that scoring has since dried up. Is it realistic to expect him to rediscover his form as a secondary scorer? Or can he potentially reinvent himself to be more palatable as a bottom-six piece?<\/p>\n Those are the kinds of questions teams interested in Hayes might ask themselves this summer. In any case, he\u2019s likely to have to settle for an inexpensive, prove-it contract wherever he signs.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/USATSI_12183469-238x300.jpg\")
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