Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced on Wednesday afternoon that defenseman Zack Hayes has been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations.
Hayes, 23, has appeared in 14 games with the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, registering a lone assist. The undrafted Calgary native was able to get in the first three NHL games of his career with the Golden Knights in 2021-22, but has spent the majority of his three-year professional career in the AHL.
As far as the return, Golden Knights fans are all too familiar with future considerations. That was the exact return they got this offseason when they also happened to ship Max Pacioretty to the Canes this summer. Of course, the Pacioretty deal garnered far more scrutiny as Pacioretty is a very good producer in the NHL, whereas Hayes remains an unknown.
This deal was likely made to give Hayes a new opportunity with another organization more than anything else. He had fallen down the depth chart recently, and will get a chance to impress a new group in Carolina. Whether or not he is able to do that remains to be seen, but the fact he was able to get in a few NHL games last season shows he has some potential. As far as the return for the Golden Knights, don’t expect to hear anything soon, if at all.
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