St. Louis Blues forward Kevin Hayes on Tuesday denied a comment made on a Philadelphia Flyers podcast a day earlier, saying he had nothing to do with a rift between Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier and the club that led to Gauthier’s trade to the Anaheim Ducks.
On an episode of “Snow the Goalie,” co-host Anthony SanFilippo said: “I talked to somebody in the (Flyers’) organization … Kevin Hayes’ fingerprints are all over this.”
Co-host Chris Therien, a third-round draft pick of the Flyers in 1990 who spent 11 seasons with the organization, replied, “Absolutely.”
Gauthier, the Flyers’ No. 5 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, informed the team after the recent World Junior Championship that he did not intend to sign in Philadelphia. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday that the Flyers’ relationship with Gauthier was “never the same” after the team didn’t sign him at the end of last season to avoid a bonus overage.
Hayes spent four seasons with the Flyers before being traded to St. Louis over the summer. He said he was happy playing there and had no resentment over the trade or his relationship with coach John Tortorella that would lead to undermining the team’s relationship with another player.
“It’s 100 percent false,” Hayes told The Athletic. “I don’t know where (SanFilippo) got his information from. At first, it didn’t really seem like a big deal. But just the s— that’s come from the aftermath, people with death threats, people want my family dead, people happy my brother’s dead, it’s just crazy stuff coming out. … Not a single aspect of what I’ve done had any implications on this kid’s decision.”
Hayes acknowledged having played golf with Gauthier when he got drafted, which he felt would help both the Flyers and Boston College, where Gauthier is currently playing his second season and Hayes played from 2010 to 2014.
“I thought I was doing due diligence by the Flyers, taking their fifth overall pick golfing,” Hayes said. “He played nine holes and he left. The (Boston College) coach wanted me to get to know (Gauthier) a little bit, give him some advice. I basically told him to work hard and have fun, your time will come in the NHL.
“I’ve never once in my life said a single negative thing about Torts, or the Flyers’ organization. I loved my time there. I loved every second of it. I still have very close friends there. Obviously, I wish my outcome in Philly was different. I wish we won the Cup. I wish I had 80 goals every year. I didn’t. It’s over with. There’s nothing I can do about that.
“They’re saying that when I got traded is when (Gauthier) decided he didn’t want to sign with the Flyers. That’s a complete joke. Like I said, I’ve never said anything ill or negative about the Flyers or Torts to this kid.”
Hayes added that he also has too much respect for Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones to make such comments to Gauthier.
“I think that reporter who said it, him and his buddy there who is on the podcast … maybe they heard something from someone in the organization, I have no idea,” Hayes said. “But I did not do anything wrong here.
“He got his clickbait for sure. But yeah, the s— just going on with fans and people wishing harmful things about me and my family and my brother … at first, I didn’t give a s— about anything that was going on. But once that gets involved, it’s kind of insane to me, so I felt that I needed to say something.”
Reached by The Athletic, SanFilippo declined to comment.
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