After being back for just two games, Kevin Hayes is back on the shelf for the Philadelphia Flyers. The big forward is out on a week-to-week basis after suffering a re-injury against the Calgary Flames. He scored his lone goal of the season in that game, an emotional moment for the forward that has had an incredibly difficult few months.
Hayes had two abdominal surgeries this offseason, first in June and then again in September. That kept him on long-term injured reserve to start the year, but he was activated on November 13 to play against the Dallas Stars. In his two appearances, he didn’t even play 15 minutes of ice time as the team eased him back into the lineup, but that strategy appeared to have failed. Hayes will now exit a Flyers lineup that can’t seem to get healthy.
He’ll now stay in Tampa to get treatment for a few days, according to head coach Alain Vigneault, but it’s not clear when Hayes will be back for the Flyers.
The team is already dealing with a similar issue for Ryan Ellis, who has suffered setbacks with own injury troubles this season. Philadelphia has lost two in a row and now sits at 8-5-3 on the year as they try to remain in the thick of the Metropolitan Division playoff race. The top three teams are beginning to pull away, with the New York Rangers now six points ahead of the Flyers for third.
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