Philadelphia Flyers players met with the media Saturday as they cleared out their lockers following a disappointing season. Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Kevin Hayes described the season as a weird one, and he sure sounds like he expects it to be his last in Philly.
The 31-year-old center has three years remaining on his contract with a cap hit just above $7M per season, but he believes the organization turned the page on him midseason. Hayes was leading the team in scoring early in the year and was named to the All-Star Game. However, his role was reduced following his All-Star appearance as younger players were given bigger roles with the team struggling.
Hayes mentioned he believes he will learn his fate around the NHL Draft, implying he thinks a trade could be on the horizon.
Also in Philly, Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic reports winger James van Riemsdyk was disappointed he did not get traded at the deadline, as he was left to play out the final year of his contract on a rebuilding Flyers roster. Then-general manager Cliff Fletcher stated shortly after the trade deadline that there was no interest at all in JVR, but the Flyers skater seems to believe that is not entirely true and was frustrated that the team would not send him to a contending team, even for a small return in a trade.
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports goaltender Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets will not play in the upcoming World Championships. This is of note since one of the host cities, Riga, Latvia, is also the hometown of Merzlikins. The 29-year-old goaltender says his focus remains completely on becoming a No. 1 goaltender in the NHL, something he fell well short of this season. He posted a 4.23 GAA and a .876 SV% in 30 games for the Blue Jackets. That is a far cry from what his contract dictates he should be doing. Merzlikins has four more years remaining on a contract that carries a $5.4M cap hit.
- Mark Divver of NHL.com reports Boston University may be keeping one of its key defensemen for another season. Case McCarthy, a fourth-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2019, has already played four seasons at BU but is leaning toward returning for one more. He played a top-four role this season, skating alongside freshman phenom Lane Hutson on most nights and providing a two-way role for BU. He had 15 points in 35 games and would step right back into that top pairing role with Hutson if he returns next season.
More must-reads: