Veteran forward leaves the NHL – surprise move to the KHL confirmed
Kevin Hayes, who has had a long career in the NHL, continues his career in Russia. The 34-year-old American forward has signed a one-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan, which plays in the KHL.
This is also the first time in Hayes’ long professional career that he is moving to play in Europe. The 196-centimeter center giant leaves the NHL behind after 12 seasons and over 800 regular season games.
Hayes represented the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last two seasons. However, last season his role was limited, as the experienced forward was included in the playing lineup for only 28 games. In those, he recorded modest stats of 4+4=8.
Hayes’ NHL career began with the New York Rangers in the 2014–15 season. Since then, the American has also played in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and most recently Pittsburgh.
In total, Hayes accumulated an impressive 805 regular season games in the NHL, where he scored 185+261=446 points. He also has plenty of playoff experience. Hayes has played 56 playoff games in the NHL with stats of 8+18=26.
Hayes played his most productive NHL season in the Philadelphia Flyers jersey during the 2022–23 season. At that time, Hayes scored 54 points in 81 regular season games.
Hayes was drafted into the NHL in the summer of 2010 when the Chicago Blackhawks selected him as the 24th player in the first round.
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