You would be hard pressed to find a fan base more excited over the signing of a 4th liner. But when GM Dale Tallon struck a last second deal with Jimmy Hayes to avoid arbitration, the reaction from Panther Nation was one of excitement. Keeping the Hulkish Hayes in South Florida provides more size and toughness on a young roster still growing into its own.
At 6'6", 221 lbs., the 24-year-old Hayes is coming off a career year where he finally had some consistent ice time with 53 games played. He tallied 18 points, including 11 goals on 71 shots. All of this was accomplished with only averaging about 11 minutes a game. Time for more responsibility.
After he arrived in Florida with Dylan Olsen in a trade that sent Kris Versteeg back to the Windy City, Hayes sort of blended in with his new teammates without making much noise. But former head coach Peter Horachek knew he needed to take advantage of Hayes' great size and started putting him in front of the net on the power play.
That is where Hayes started to earn his eventual raise.
Defenders find it very hard to push him around, and he is definitely willing to be a dance partner with anyone trying to go over the line. He has decent hands around the net and his massive frame creates excellent screens in front of opposing goaltenders. No other person on the roster can fill this role like Hayes.
But it is not as if that is the only part of his game. As a RW he fills a great area of need as this is the least deep position on the team. He was only a -6 on a very bad team while learning a new system. He was far and away the best in shot percentage of those that played at least 50 games at 15.5%. He is willing to get his nose dirty and wreak havoc in the tough areas along the boards.
While his current deal is a 1-year, one-way deal, we might see what Hayes is really made of this year as he auditions for a long-term contract and security in this league. His $925,000 salary next season is an excellent deal for both, and if he can finish somewhere in the 40 point range he'll surely get the deal he is looking for.
Because of Florida's lack of depth and on-ice production for years, young players have the chance to go there and prove what they are worth, if anything. Tallon may have pulled off a great deal in getting Hayes and Olsen for Kris Versteeg. Both players are potential starters and important pieces of a young core moving forward together.
As he towers over most people on the ice and in the locker room, it's easy to see why it was important to avoid arbitration and give him the shot he deserves to show he belongs. If last season is any indication Panther fans should get used to him getting beat up in front of the net on the power play, for all the right reasons.
Dan Spiegel...
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