For Kevin Hayes, joining the Winnipeg Jets is an opportunity.
The 26-year-old center was having a career year with the New York Rangers before being traded to the Jets on Monday in exchange for Brendan Lemieux and a pair of draft picks. So with the Rangers well outside of the playoff picture, and going all-in on a rebuild, Hayes is content with joining the third-best team in the Western Conference.
"That's probably the most exciting about today," Hayes told reporters in a conference call Monday. "Everybody knows how good the Jets are and they have a serious chance of [winning] the Cup. I'm just happy and proud that they wanted to choose me to help them do that, and I think it'll be a good fit."
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Hayes has put up 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) in 51 games this season, just seven points behind his career-high posted in 2016-17. At 6-foot-5, 216 pounds, he feels that as a "big guy" he'll fit right in with the Jets' squad.
"They're a big, heavy team and they've got some elite players," said Hayes, who was originally a 2010 first-round pick of the Blackhawks. "I'm hoping to just step in and it'll be an easy transition. We play the Wild [Tuesday], so it should be a pretty good test right away."
Hayes knew all season long that he would be a target for other teams on deadline day. A fifth-year player who spent his entire NHL career with the Rangers, the Dorchester, Mass., native re-upped with New York last summer knowing that he'd likely be moved at some point and used the uncertainty of his destination as motivation to grow as a player.
"It was a pretty crazy situation," Hayes said. "I signed a one-year deal knowing I was probably gonna get traded at the deadline coming into the year. I tried not to think about it, but I played with some good players here [in New York] and a lot of it has to do with them. My minutes have definitely been up and that's what I wanted.
"I've been in the league for five years now, so it's definitely every year you want to take another step into [growing] your game. I think this year I've been the complete player I've been trying to be the last couple of years, and I was lucky enough to get a chance to do it in New York."
It’s not the same as Tavares sleeping on Leafs sheets as a kid but this should sit well with #NHLJets fans. pic.twitter.com/Ic7LVLPAU4
— Sara Orlesky (@saraorlesky) February 25, 2019
With the Rangers behind him, Hayes turns his attention to Winnipeg, where the Jets have been among the league's best teams all season. He expressed appreciation for ending up in Manitoba, noting that it was his preferred landing spot.
"It's a great feeling to feel wanted," Hayes said. "It's been rumoured for a little bit that this is the place that I would end up at, and I was actually hoping that it was the place that I was gonna end up at. It's nice that they gave up a lot for me, and I'm just hoping that I can come in and show them that I was worth it."
With the Jets seen as a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, Hayes knows there will be a certain amount of pressure on him to perform right away. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, the comparison between Hayes and Paul Stastny have already begun.
Stastny joined the Jets for the stretch run last year and had an immediate impact. It's something that Hayes is aware of, and he hopes to emulate Stastny's success as a Jet.
"I have high expectations here for myself as a player and for the Winnipeg Jets as an organization," Hayes said. "I know Stastny came in last year and did really well so I'm hoping to do the same thing. [The Jets are] definitely in a "win now"-type mode and they're kind of all in on it. I'm just excited that they wanted me there."