April 21, 2016 — the day that turned Kevin Hayes into a Hart trophy candidate.
After logging just 8:27 of uninspiring ice time in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, everyone involved with the New York Rangers was just about done with the former Boston College star after disappointing countless times during his sophomore season on Broadway.
Among those who were upset was Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault. He simply couldn’t watch Hayes hold on to the puck for a second too long, casually turn the puck over in the neutral zone, and constantly be a liability in the defensive zone.