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Flyers on Hayes talks, NHL Draft approach

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With the 2019 NHL Draft and free agency approaching, the Philadelphia Flyers have their hands full. The team addressed contract negotiations with Kevin Hayes, their approach to the 2019 NHL Draft, and more on Monday.

Hayes situation still hazy

Back on June 3, the Flyers sent their 2019 fifth-round pick to the Winnipeg Jets for Hayes’ negotiating rights. The Flyers bought themselves a window to try to hash out a contract with Hayes, 27, before the big center can hit the free agent market on July 1.

Via a transcription by NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman, Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher indicates that not a whole lot has been discussed yet, but Fletcher expects to have face-to-face time by the 2019 NHL Draft (June 21-22), and also believes that Hayes is “open-minded” about signing with Philly.

“I don’t have a vibe, other than he’s certainly open-minded,” Fletcher said. “You have to remember he’s two weeks away from getting to July 1, so that’s a nice status to obtain in this league. Certainly, he’s earned that right and we are respectful of that. I think we have a lot to offer in Philly. So we will continue to speak to him and I think he’s open-minded to conversations, at least that is what his camp has said to us, and obviously we have strong interest in him.”

Fletcher notes that he hopes that Hayes can help the Flyers with his defensive game, not just with scoring.

Broad Street Hockey also lays out the benefits of a potential ripple effect if the Flyers can sign Hayes.

Most prominently, Hayes solidifying the second center spot could allow Claude Giroux to stay at a more comfortable spot on the wing, allow Nolan Patrick to draw easier matchups as a 3C, and also open up the possibility that the Flyers could earn the depth to have one of the best fourth lines in hockey.

Interesting stuff all around, even if it isn’t earth-shattering. Of course, all of that would hinge on Hayes wanting to play for the Flyers, and reunite with former Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault.

On the 2019 NHL Draft

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall provides an account of the Flyers’ discussions regarding the 11th pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, as Monday’s press conference didn’t just include GM Chuck Fletcher, but also assistant GM Brent Flahr.

It’s basically a trope to wonder if a team might trade its first-rounder, and while Fletcher didn’t totally disregard the possibility, it sounds pretty remote, as Fletcher admitted that there “hasn’t really been a big push for the pick at this point.”

To be fair to those wondering about that possibility, the Flyers are likely in a spot where they’d be more interested in chasing immediate gains, rather than developing more prospects. They made great strides in that area under Ron Hextall’s watch, and one of the hopes of hiring Fletcher seems to be making aggressive strides for the present.

So, the lure might be there, but the demand might not.

Flahr grades the 2019 NHL Draft as a “B+,” and Flahr indicated that the team is leaning more toward drafting a defenseman.

“We have a couple of defensemen in our top 10 that we like,” Flahr said.

“We’ve identified probably five or six guys that we think have a chance to be there at 11 and probably some of the other teams in front of us will dictate that. But we’re really confident we’re going to get a good player.”

To an extent, the Flyers are playing the waiting game right now. They need to do their best to entice Hayes to sign, rather than burning a fifth-round pick for nothing. They also must prepare for multiple scenarios, as the 11th pick is late enough where things can play out in a number of ways, while there’s also the chance that a really promising prospect falls that far.

That all might feel a bit unnerving, but with a nice core already in place and a ton of cap space on hand, the Flyers could also make some waves during the summer. If nothing else, they’ve already shown that they’re willing to be proactive, if not outright aggressive, to get things done.

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.