Blues forward Kevin Hayes denied having any involvement with Cutter Gauthier’s decision not to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers, one day after a report by Crossing Broad that stated, “Kevin Hayes’ fingerprints are all over this,†on social media Monday night.
The Flyers traded the 19-year-old Gauthier to the Ducks on Monday night in exchange for Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick. Philadelphia drafted Gauthier with the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft but was informed he would not sign with the organization.
Hayes was a member of the Flyers for four seasons before he was traded to the Blues over the summer.
Hayes said he texted Philadelphia general manager Danny Briere and said he never said anything bad about Flyers coach John Tortorella. Here is Hayes’ full response when asked by the Post-Dispatch whether he wanted to say anything about the situation in Philadelphia:
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“It’s completely false. One hundred percent false. I don’t know where he got that information from. I took that kid golfing once. The coach at (Boston College, where both Hayes and Gauthier played college hockey) asked me to take him golfing just to chat with him. He played nine holes, and he went home. I sent him a text after he won World Juniors saying, ‘Congrats.’ I told him if he ever had any issues or problems, when I was with Philly, I felt like I was doing Philly a good service by helping out their fifth overall pick. Never once said a negative thing about Torts. Never once said a negative thing about the organization. I reached out to Danny B last night, told him exactly what I’m telling you.
“Yeah, I think it’s complete (expletive), honestly. I think those two guys acted like complete pieces of (expletive), to be honest, making (expletive) up. Now, I’m going to bed and waking up with death threats and people want my family dead and people that are happy that my brother’s dead. I think it’s completely insane that this guy can say something like that.
“I honestly heard it and started laughing. Who the (expletive) am I to have influence on if a kid plays for an NHL team or not? I don’t have that influence. I think whatever info that guy got, he should fact-check it. You can ask Cutter about it; you can ask that idiot reporter if he wants to ask me questions about it. I’ll answer any questions he has.
“I enjoyed all four years in Philly. It’s a class-act organization. I had an absolute blast there. I wish the results were better at the end, but they weren’t. All of a sudden, I get traded, which I’m not mad at them about at all. It’s their opinion. We’re in a professional business where they make decisions on who they want on their team. I wasn’t one of them.
“I totally respect everything they’ve built there. I still have really close friends there. I think it’s insane how an 18-year-old kid not going to a team is somehow my fault.â€
Hayes said Briere responded via text message that he “had no doubt in my mind†that Hayes was not involved with Gauthier’s decision and that he “told the guys here that I believe that.â€
Hayes, originally drafted by Chicago in 2010, signed with the Rangers as a free agent in 2014.
In print, wrote, “Multiple sources have told me that Hayes was very influential with Gauthier and three of them indicated that Hayes either had direct impact on Gauthier’s decision to not want to play for the Flyers or that it was very possible that he did.â€
The Flyers traded Hayes to the Blues before the draft in 2023 for a sixth-round pick. Philadelphia retained half of his salary. Entering Tuesday night’s game against the Panthers, Hayes has 19 points in 38 games for the Blues.
Walker inks 2-year extension
To Nathan Walker and his family, the decision “was a no-brainer for us.â€
Walker signed a two-year contract extension with the Blues on Tuesday morning, a one-way deal that will pay him the league-minimum $775,000 through the 2025-26 season. If Walker is with the Blues organization through the life of his contract, it will mark seven seasons with the team.
“The organization is great; the culture is great,†Walker said Tuesday morning before playing the Panthers. “Every teammate I’ve played with here has been great, so it’s just a good spot to be.â€
Walker has played two NHL games this season and scored during Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Hurricanes. With AHL affiliate Springfield, Walker had 29 points in 30 games prior to his recall to the NHL.
“His game hasn’t changed at all,†Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. “He’s a direct player; he’s hard to play against. He gets in on the forecheck. He uses his ability, his speed to create offense and he goes to the hard areas and he gets rewarded. We saw that in the last two games.â€
Since signing with the Blues as a free agent in 2019, Walker has played 101 games in the NHL and has 13 goals and 13 assists playing primarily in a fourth-line role.