9/6/18 | Jeff Gorton said that people should not assume that the Rangers will be "one and done" with Hayes and that both sides are interested in staying together. (NY Post)

Gorton said that Hayes should come to camp in "great shape, be a leader, have a big season" and then things can go from there. (NY Post)

8/25/18 | Kevin Hayes said that a one-year contract was the best situation for both himself and the Rangers this summer but that he still hopes to stay with the organization past this season. (NHL.com)

Hayes said that he isn't coming into the season feeling that he will be moved by the deadline in February and that after speaking with Jeff Gorton he was "reassured" that the Rangers have no intention of trading him this season. (NHL.com)

Gorton said that in a "perfect world" Hayes is with the Rangers past this season and that while they have the cap space to sign him, "it's just a matter of the contract. (NHL.com)

Hayes said that he views himself as a "top player" on the Rangers and that if he plays the way he thinks he can play "the rest of the stuff will handle itself." (NHL.com)

He said that he intends to be more of a "vocal leader" in his fifth season and that his main approach will be coming to the rink every day and showing the young players "what it takes to be a pro." (NHL.com)

Rangers coach David Quinn said that Hayes is "so close to it' and needs to work on his everyday consistency, work ethic and attitude. (NHL.com)

Quinn said that Hayes wants to take the next step, become a leader to the younger players and that he is looking at his one-year deal as sort of a "prove-it" deal. (NHL.com)

At the time Hayes signed his one-year deal, Larry Brooks wrote that the best use of Hayes may be on the wing if he isn't going to be in the Rangers long-term plans. (NY Post)

Adam Rotter: At this moment, I'd still say that there are better odds Hayes is traded than signs a long-term deal. Hayes is someone worth keeping around because he has gone through many different stages in his career and can certainly be a leader and mentor to the new crop of young players. He came in hyped, was up and down, had a terrific second half as a rookie, a terrible second season, a bounce back third season and a fourth where he took on, and for large parts of the season, excelled. The nearly 15% rise in his faceoff percentage from his rookie season to last season shows how he has worked on his game to improve.

The issue with Hayes probably boils down to restrictions around a potential no-trade clause. When would he get it, would it be full, would it be limited or modified and if so, how limited or modified? The money and term could probably be agreed upon quickly, but how much protection he has is where things get messy. We saw Derek Stepan get traded two-years into a six-year deal, right before a full no-trade clause kicked in. Hayes turned down the chance to join the Blackhawks so that he could decide where he wanted to play. As a free agent next summer he would have that option again, but if he were to sign a long-term deal without full trade protection throughout, he, like Stepan, could all the sudden be moved out. It's a tough situation for both sides and why I think both sides want to make a deal, these details around a no-trade clause could end up seeing Hayes traded this season and then having his choice of where to go next summer.

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