Right after Kevin Hayes stated plenty of goodbyes to his New York Rangers teammates all through the organization’s rebuild, it was ultimately his time to go.
The Rangers traded Hayes to the Winnipeg Jets forward of the NHL’s trade deadline Monday for young ahead Brendan Lemieux, a 2019 initially-round decide and a conditional 2020 fourth round decide they get only if the Jets win the Stanley Cup this spring. New York also traded defenseman Adam McQuaid to Columbus for protection prospect Julius Bergman and fourth- and seventh-round picks in this year’s draft.
It was not very long in the past the Rangers were being gunning for a title. In the previous two days, they have jettisoned all three of their big unrestricted cost-free agents in Mats Zuccarello, Hayes and McQuaid.
“We experienced a truly great staff and we experienced a really serious prospect at the Cup and we experienced a very great deep operate,” Hayes stated on a meeting get in touch with. “I have practically nothing but regard for this group and practically nothing but good recollections below. It is difficult to leave a city like this and a staff like this and the friendships that you develop with some folks, it can be surely difficult. But I’m excited to get likely below.”
Left driving are a handful of veterans on a staff that received a lot young since saying a rebuilding effort above a year in the past. Forward Chris Kreider survived this deadline with a year still left on his deal, and franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on Sunday was far too choked up about the trade of Zuccarello to Dallas to handle it.
But this was all part of the approach, and now the Rangers have 5 picks in the initially two rounds of the draft, cap space and young property to transform matters around immediately.
“I consider very a lot we knew what the prices would be (and) I would say we fulfilled or ideally did much better than our anticipations,” typical manager Jeff Gorton stated. “I consider a lot of opportunity for our staff to get much better ideally in a fairly rapid fashion.”
The 26-year-previous Hayes, who can become an unrestricted cost-free agent July 1, has 14 aims and 28 helps in 51 video games this year. He presents the Jets depth down the middle as they attempt to become the initially Canadian-primarily based staff to win the Stanley Cup since 1993.
Hayes has 216 points (87 aims, 129 helps) in 361 occupation NHL video games. The indigenous of Dorchester, Massachusetts, has extra two aims and eight helps in 34 occupation playoff video games. Chosen 24th total by Chicago out of Boston Higher education in 2010, Hayes hardly ever signed with Blackhawks and alternatively inked a cost-free-agent offer with New York in August 2014.
Lemieux, 22, has nine aims and two helps in 44 video games this year for Winnipeg and will be a part of the Rangers straight away.
“I would consider that we are likely to give him a very massive opportunity below with some ice time and taking part in up in the lineup and viewing what he can do for us suitable away,” Gorton stated.
Whilst McQuaid presents Columbus what GM Jarmo Kekalainen hopes is a dose of great character, management, toughness and actual physical engage in, Bergmann will report to the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford. Bergman was traded twice in four days just after getting part of the Blue Jackets’ offer with the Ottawa Senators for Matt Duchene.
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