Hayes Named NHL Third Star
Last year Kevin Hayes was playing in his sophomore season, and finding the going tough. He perhaps thought things would come easy after a rookie season that saw him register 17 goals and 28 assists in 79 games. His conditioning over the off-season was questionable, and the performances on the ice were a step below the previous season.
After a hot start, the Rangers were in a stall heading into the New Year, and Hayes was copping more than his fare share of criticism. On December 29th, 2015 the Rangers were in a 4-10-2 stretch and Hayes was scheduled to become a healthy scratch for the first time in his young career.