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Kevin Hayes Out 6-8 Weeks After Abdominal Surgery

By Jacob Modugno

Apr 17, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes (13) readies for a faceoff in the second period against the Washington Capitals at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes (13) readies for a faceoff in the second period against the Washington Capitals at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Tuesday morning that forward Kevin Hayes will miss 6-to-8 weeks after undergoing abdominal surgery. According to Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault, Hayes underwent surgery this morning.

Hayes’ reported timetable means he won’t return to the ice until early to mid-November, and could miss anywhere from 8 to 14 games before he’s deemed healthy and ready to return.

In speaking about Hayes’ injury and the second surgery, Vigneault talked about a conversation he had with the veteran center after finding out about the injury on Monday.

"“We texted back and forth a couple of times yesterday when I found out about the news. He sounded pretty positive in one of the texts, to the extent that, ‘AV, we got this early. I’d love to still be around the team during training camp, do the meetings. We’ve got a lot of new faces and I’d like to help out.’ I told him I’m all for that. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him. I want him around the team.”"

The 29 year-old Dorchester, Massachusetts native recorded 12 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 55 games last season for the Flyers, and was on a better points-per-game pace than his first season with Philadelphia. He seemed to lack the flashiness and aggressiveness he had in his game from 2019-20, but he was still productive and a solid consistent contributor in Philadelphia’s lineup.

His impressive 2019-20 season, his first with the Flyers, consisted of 23 goals and 18 assists for 41 points in 69 games. He also racked up 13 points in 16 postseason contests during Philadelphia’s 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff run.

Hayes’ injury now leaves a glaring hole at the Flyers’ second-line center position. The Flyers do have a few options to plug in behind Sean Couturier on the depth chart, but some of them are a little risky. Captain Claude Giroux seems like the obvious candidate to fill in the role temporarily, as he’s clearly the most skilled player to fit the bill there based on his playmaking and two-way abilities. Other players such as Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton, and Derick Brassard among others will maybe have a shot to show off what they can do in that role in training camp and preseason games before the Flyers make a final decision.

Hayes is one of five players the Flyers announced would miss time with injuries. Defenseman Sam Morin is also out six to eight weeks after having loose bodies removed from his knee. Defenseman Cooper Zech is also on the same recovery timetable as Hayes and Morin after suffering an upper-body injury. Forward Wade Allison is out indefinitely after spraining his right ankle in the Flyers’ rookie game against the Rangers on Sunday, and forward Zayde Wisdom is still out until at least December after recovering from shoulder surgery this past offseason.

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