It’s no secret that Kevin Hayes has been playing really well lately, accumulating 16 points in his last 10 games. While it’s unknown how serious the Rangers are in trying to trade the 26 year old center, it’s a strong possibility that he gets dealt at this year’s deadline.
A team acquiring Hayes this season would most likely be to a playoff contender, as his current deal expires at the end of the year. Hayes has done is best work as a center, so with the high price to acquire him, the team trading for him would likely want to keep him down the middle — therefore they’d likely need to have an open top-six center spot.