Blues trade Kevin Hayes to Penguins in exchange for future considerations: What it means for both teams

The St. Louis Blues have traded center Kevin Hayes and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for future considerations. No salaries withheld as part of deal, league source says Athleticism.

Hayes, 32, was acquired by the Blues last offseason from the Philadelphia Flyers for a sixth-round pick this year.

He was expected to give the team’s veteran depth at center, but it was a mediocre season. He scored 13 goals and 29 points, and although he led the Blues with a 57 percent winning percentage on faceoffs, his lack of speed was a problem and he was left out of several games. games down the stretch for a team that was fighting for a playoff spot.

The Blues were paying Hayes just 50 percent of his salary ($7.1 million cap hit), with the Flyers retaining 50 percent in the trade. He has two years left on his contract.

What this means for St. Louis

The Blues gave up Hayes’ $3.571 million salary and a player who was not part of their future. What does that mean for the roster and salary cap situation?

They acquired Alexandre Texier from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, and general manager Doug Armstrong expects him to play on the wing in the middle six. Hayes played primarily center last season, but there was a chance, with his speed declining, that he would have spent more time on the wing if he returned in 2025-26.

So, for now, Texier is the player going into Hayes’ lineup, although the Blues will have to figure out who the third-line center will be. It could be Brayden Schenn if the team is convinced that Pavel Buchnevich plays in the middle of the second line.

The Blues did not retain any of Hayes’ salary in the deal, essentially giving up a second-round pick for Pittsburgh to take on his entire cap hit. The Blues now have a cap space of $16.2 million for a list currently of 18 players under contract for 2025-2026.

Of course, they could use that available cap space on a center in free agency, which begins Monday. The Hayes trade created some cap space, but this deal was also meant to move a player who no longer fit his plans. — Jeremy Rutherford, Senior Blues Writer

Is this a good deal for Pittsburgh?

With this trade, Kyle Dubas did not make the Penguins younger and faster, one of his stated goals.

However, let’s not forget that another important goal for Dubas is for the Penguins to stockpile as many picks as possible. The Blues give the Penguins a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and the Penguins essentially give up nothing, another way of saying “future considerations.” The Blues don’t project to be a very good team next season, so the second round pick could be quite high next summer.

Dubas wants picks and prospects. So in that regard he made the Penguins better.

On the ice, right now, I’m not sure he did it. Hayes is no longer the player he once was and is coming off a disappointing season in St. Louis. That said, given the mediocrity of the Penguins’ bottom six, he could represent an improvement, although his lack of foot speed is certainly an issue. —Josh Yohe, Penguins senior writer

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