A bit of Devils news came through yesterday that I did not get a chance to write about yet because I was busy attending a wedding (congrats to Matt and Laina, by the way!). It appears as though the Devils have come to terms on a one-year, one-way contract with Jimmy Hayes.
Hayes was attending training camp on a professional tryout (PTO). The contract is worth $700,000 according to Devils GM Ray Shero via the official press release on the Devils’ site.
Hayes, a Boston native, had a great preseason, scoring two goals and one assist for three points in five games played according to the Devils’ press release.
He is a 27-year-old, 6-foot, 5-inch, 215-pound forward who has played with the Blackhawks, Panthers and Bruins in his career after being drafted by Toronto in the second round, 60th overall in the 2008 Entry Draft. He played college hockey at Boston College, giving the Devils another BC guy in the lineup which also includes goaltender Cory Schneider. Hayes won an NCAA championship there in 2010.
The press release mentions that he has 301 regular season NHL games and has 51 goals, 49 assists for an even 100 points to go with 143 penalty minutes.
Hayes has played in two Stanley Cup playoff games, both with Chicago in 2012. In those two games, he is a minus-1 and has 15 penalty minutes. He also has four shots on goal, three hits and a block and takeaway in just over ten minutes of ice time.
Jimmy’s brother, Kevin, plays for the Rangers.