NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For new Blues center Kevin Hayes, maybe it was a stroke of luck.
Hayes had already planned a golf trip to Nashville for this week, unknowingly coinciding with the NHL draft and lining up for him to meet the Blues brass on Wednesday, one day after St. Louis acquired him. On Tuesday, the Blues traded a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Flyers for Hayes, and Philadelphia is retaining half of his $7,142,857 cap hit.
“I didn’t realize it was the same weekend when we planned this weekend,” said Hayes, who has one round scheduled Wednesday and two for Thursday. “You get traded the day before, you get to meet the people that are part of the team. So it’s a win-win.”