Kevin Hayes Joins New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have landed another former NCAA player as former Blackhawks prospect, Kevin Hayes, has chosen the New York Rangers. Location was very important for Hayes, and the young forward decided there was no better place to play than Madison Square Garden.
The highly sought after Boston College standout, chose to become a free agent on Saturday when he refused to sign a contract with the team that drafted him in the first round of 2010 draft. Hayes saw little chance of advancement within the Chicago Blackhawks organization opting to join another NHL club.
He had lots of options after a very impressive senior year at Boston College. He easily could have joined his brother in Florida or reunited with his Boston College linemates in Calgary. Instead he has chosen to join the blue-collar New York Rangers with former teammate Chris Kreider.
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The Rangers had a few things going for them in terms of landing the NHL ready prospect. They don’t have the depth in their prospect pool and after a massive overhaul this offseason, Hayes should be able to crack the roster out of training camp, something he likely would not have done in Chicago.
Other teams said to be in on the Kevin Hayes sweepstakes include the Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, and Colorado Avalanche.
Not only will the Rangers get a solid NCAA player and forward, they are getting a first round pick despite not having a first round pick in the last two seasons. This season alone the Rangers have added 3 other college players in Ryan Haggerty, Mat Bodie, and Chris McCarthy.
They might not have the star power that one might think they need, but the Stanley Cup final New York Rangers, are putting themself in a nice spot with solid college pick-ups. Who needs draft picks?
Kevin Hayes will bring a nice mixture of size and skill to the Rangers offence that could use some of what he has if they hope to take down the Eastern Conference again this season. This is a great pick-up for both the Rangers and Hayes. Hayes likely get’s the NHL ice-time he wants and the Rangers get much better offensively.