With most of the available big-name forwards already spoken for, Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes has started to draw some interest.
The Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, and Minnesota Wild have checked in on the 30-year-old's availability, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
Hayes has three seasons remaining on his pact after this one and would come with a cap hit of about $7.14 million. The Flyers would realistically have to retain some of that salary to make a deal work.
His contract carries a 12-team no-trade list, but Seravalli reports that Carolina, Colorado, and Minnesota aren't on it.
A first-time All-Star this season, Hayes ranks second on the Flyers with 17 goals and 48 points in 60 games. He's just two points away from surpassing his previous career high that he set with the New York Rangers in 2016-17.
All three potential suitors could use some help down the middle.
The Avalanche have turned to J.T. Compher to fill in as second-line center following Nazem Kadri's offseason departure but are lacking high-quality depth.
Carolina could use an upgrade on Jesperi Kotkaniemi behind Sebastian Aho, and the Hurricanes have yet to join the arms race currently going on in the Eastern Conference.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin said recently he wants to reward the team for its hot streak of late by being "very active" ahead of the deadline. However, Minnesota's dead-cap space will rise to nearly $15 million in 2023-24 and 2024-25 due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
The trade deadline is March 3 at 3 p.m. ET.
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