NEW YORK – For the first time this season Kevin Hayes, the second year forward, will be a healthy scratch for the New York Rangers. He currently has not scored in 16 games.
It would be a drastic understatement to say the 6’5” forward has under-produced this year. Though he ranks tied for seventh on the team in points (with defenseman Ryan McDonagh and rookie Oscar Lindberg) Hayes has not been playing as expected in the eyes of head coach Alain Vigneault.
He explained his decision to sit Hayes and shake things up.
“At the end of the day we’re at the point now where we have to make some decisions in the best interest of the team. In Kevin’s case we made it all clear about our expectations for him and what we thought he could do, and they were very high. Obviously he has not lived up to that. I know what we are seeing now is not good enough.”
In addition to sitting Hayes, Vigneault has chosen to switch up the top three forward lines, hoping to snap New York out of their current funk.
Rick Nash was moved and will now play with Derek Stepan and Jesper Fast. Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello will stay together and play alongside a streaking J.T Miller who has recorded six points in his last seven games and has 18 points on the season overall (8-10-18). Lindberg will center Chris Kreider and Emerson Etem, while the Rangers fourth line of Dominic Moore, Viktor Stalberg and Tanner Glass will stay the same.
Hayes has six goals and 11 assists through 37 games and is a minus-1 on the year.
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