After spending the last two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, former New York Rangers forward Kevin Hayes will now be playing in the KHL.
Hayes has signed a one-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL for the 2026-27 campaign.
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Hayes heading to the KHL comes after he spent nearly two months on the free agent market. Now, he should be a solid part of Ak Bars Kazan’s roster due to his NHL experience.
Hayes heading to the KHL comes after he had a quiet 2025-26 season with the Penguins. He played in just 28 games for Pittsburgh this past season, where he posted four goals and eight points.
Hayes kicked off his NHL career with the Rangers after they signed him to an entry-level contract during the 2014 NHL off-season. This was after Hayes chose not to sign an entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, who selected him 24th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Hayes ended up playing five of his 12 NHL seasons with the Rangers from 2014-15 to 2018-19. In 361 games as a member of the Rangers, he posted 87 goals, 129 assists, 216 points, and a plus-31 rating.
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Hayes’ time with the Rangers ended during the 2018-19 season when he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets ahead of the deadline. From there, he would have stints with the Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Penguins.
In 805 career NHL games over 12 seasons, Hayes recorded 185 goals, 261 assists, and 446 points. He was also an All-Star with the Flyers during the 2022-23 season. Overall, the former Rangers forward had himself a nice NHL career, and it will be interesting to see what he can do in the KHL with Ak Bars Kazan from here.
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