Former New York Rangers forward Kevin Hayes is headed overseas for the 2026-27 season, signing a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL after two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Hayes had been on the free-agent market for nearly two months before landing with the KHL club. Given his NHL background, he should bring a veteran presence to Ak Bars Kazan’s roster right away.
His move comes after a quiet 2025-26 campaign in Pittsburgh. Hayes appeared in just 28 games for the Penguins and finished with four goals and eight points.
The 33-year-old began his NHL journey with the Rangers after they signed him to an entry-level contract in the 2014 NHL off-season. That came after the Chicago Blackhawks selected him 24th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, though he never signed with them.
Hayes spent five of his 12 NHL seasons in New York, skating in 361 games for the Rangers from 2014-15 through 2018-19. In that stretch, he put up 87 goals, 129 assists, 216 points, and a plus-31 rating.
His run with the Rangers ended in 2018-19 when he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets before the deadline. He later went on to play for the Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Penguins.
Across 805 career NHL games, Hayes totaled 185 goals, 261 assists, and 446 points. He was also an All-Star with the Flyers during the 2022-23 season.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Have A New Chris Drury Trade Debate
Vincent Trochecks name is back in the mix around the Rangers, even if the move itself is already in the past. According to a report on The Athletic Hockey Show, New York got trade interest for the veteran center last season, but the offers did not line up with Chris Drurys expectations at the time. Trocheck was eventually dealt to Utah for defenseman Sean Durzi, center prospect Cole Beaudoin and a 2027 third-round pick, giving the Rangers a return that at least helped explain why the front office stayed patient.
The part now stirring the debate is what New York may have passed on before settling on that package. One rumored Minnesota proposal reportedly featured Charlie Stramel and a first-round pick, but the rest of the discussion has not been confirmed, and the finer points of the talks remain unclear. For Rangers fans, it is the kind of hindsight question Drury invites every time he holds firm on value: was the market really too light, or did the club leave something more intriguing on the table? [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Blue-Line Upgrades Come With One Long-Term Question
The Rangers spent the offseason giving their blue line a different look, bringing in Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi in separate trades to stabilize the second pair. Both additions fit the immediate need for more experience and structure on the back end, and both are expected to factor prominently when the season opens.
The longer view is less settled. Pettersson arrives as a 30-year-old veteran who could eventually slide into a third-pair role if younger defensemen keep pushing, while Durzi gives New York a more flexible option whose place in the picture may not be as fixed down the line. For now, the pair solves an obvious roster need, but the Rangers are still sorting out what each move means once the present tense gives way to the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Still Have One Roster Hole They Can't Ignore
After finishing last in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers spent the offseason reshaping their forward group and at least addressed the top of the lineup. Additions like Pavel Dorofeyev and Oliver Bjorkstrand give New York more punch up front, but the roster still looks thin in the places that tend to matter once the season settles in - the middle and lower portions of the forward rotation.
The gap is in the bottom six, where the Rangers are still searching for more balance and reliability. They have kicked around ways to fill a middle-six role, with free-agent options on the table, while also weighing trade possibilities that could help bring in a younger forward. Braden Schneiders new one-year extension adds another layer to that discussion, since his name has already surfaced as a possible piece in a larger move. [Read more 🡒]