The selection that became the 24th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft switched hands a couple of times. First, the New Jersey Devils traded it in a blockbuster deal with the Atlanta Thrashers that included Ilya Kovalchuk. Next, it went from Atlanta to the Chicago Blackhawks in a deal that included Dustin Byfuglien.
The Blackhawks used that pick to select forward Kevin Hayes. Hayes then went to Boston College, where he was a star player for four years. The problem for Chicago was that they never got him signed before he completed his senior year, and he left as a free agent once his college career was done. In 2014, he signed with the New York Rangers.
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From there, he had a solid NHL career as a middle-six forward. After parts of five years with the Rangers, he spent time with the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
On Tuesday, the news dropped that Hayes was going to sign with AK Bars Kazan in the KHL. There, he will continue his hockey career. It is unclear whether he will return to the NHL at any point, but this is usually the route guys take at the end of their careers so they can make some more money playing for another year or two.
If it is the end for Hayes in the NHL, he will look back at the way he played and the numbers he put up fondly. Would he have ended with a Stanley Cup or two if he had stayed in Chicago?
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By the time Hayes made his NHL debut in 2014, the Blackhawks still had one more ahead of them. He also would likely have helped extend their dominance, as he would have fit in nicely in their forward lineup for many years after.
It is natural for both sides to think about what may have been, but the truth is that he had a good career that will now take a different turn via the KHL.
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