Hayes traded to Jets by Rangers for Lemieux

Kevin Hayes was traded to the Winnipeg Jets by the New York Rangers on Monday for Brendan Lemieux and two draft picks.

Hayes avoided a salary arbitration hearing and signed a one-year contract with the Rangers on July 30, 2018. He can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

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The 26-year-old center has 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) in 51 games this season.

“It definitely felt like every hour I was going somewhere new,” Hayes told TSN. “I probably talked to my agent 25 times in the past two days and it was somewhere new every time. Glad to finally have it over with and excited to be going to an unreal team like Winnipeg.” 

The Rangers also received a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Should the draft lottery render the 2019 first-round selection a top-three pick, the Rangers will receive a 2020 first-round selection instead. If the Jets win the Stanley Cup this season, the Rangers will receive their 2022 fourth-round pick.

“I pretty much knew I was being traded about a week ago,” Hayes said. “When I stopped playing games, it was pretty clear. Once I had to say bye to the guys, that was kind of the emotional… I’ve been in New York for five years, built some pretty good friendships here. But I’m sure Winnipeg will be just as fun. Looking forward to it.”

Selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round (No. 24) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Hayes signed with the Rangers as a free agent Aug. 20, 2014. He has 216 points (87 goals, 129 assists) in 361 regular-season games and 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 34 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Lemieux, a 22-year-old forward has 11 points (nine goals, two assists) in 44 games this season. Selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (No. 31) of the 2014 NHL Draft, he has 12 points (10 goals, two assists) in 53 NHL games, all with the Jets who acquired him in a trade with Buffalo on Feb. 11, 2015.

The Jets (37-21-4) enter play Monday in first place in the Central Division, one point ahead of the Nashville Predators.

The Rangers (27-26-9) are nine points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

New York traded forward Mats Zuccarello, who could have become a UFA on July 1, to the Dallas Stars on Saturday for two future draft picks.