St. Louis Blues forward Kevin Hayes on Tuesday denied a comment made a day earlier on a Philadelphia Flyers podcast, saying he had nothing to do with a rift between Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier and the club to do that led to Gauthier's move to the Anaheim Ducks.
On an episode of “Snow the Goalie,” co-host Anthony SanFilippo said, “I talked to someone in the (Flyers) organization…Kevin Hayes' fingerprints are all over the place.”
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, told the team after the recent World Junior Championship that he did not intend to sign in Philadelphia. Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman reported On Tuesday, he said the Flyers' relationship with Gauthier will “never be the same again” after the team didn't sign him at the end of last season to avoid a bonus overrun.
Hayes spent four seasons with the Flyers before moving to St. Louis in the summer. He said he was happy to play there and had no aversion to the move or his relationship with coach John Tortorella that would result in jeopardizing 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. At first it didn't seem like a big deal. But just the s- that's from the aftermath, people with death threats, people wanting my family dead, people happy that my brother is dead, it's just crazy stuff that comes out there. … Not a single aspect of what I did had any impact on this child’s decision.”
Hayes admitted to playing golf with Gauthier when he was drafted, which he said 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 would do my due diligence on the Flyers and secure their fifth overall Golf pick,” Hayes said. “He played nine holes and left. The (Boston College) coach wanted me to get to know (Gauthier) a little bit and give him some advice. I basically told him to work hard and have fun, your time in the NHL will come.
“I have never once in my life said anything negative about Torts or the Flyers organization. I enjoyed my time there. I enjoyed every second of it. I still have very close friends there. Of course I wish my result in Philly was different. I wish we had won the cup. I wish I had 80 goals every year. I did not do it. It's over. I can't change that.
“They say when I was traded, (Gauthier) decided he didn’t want to sign with the Flyers. This is a complete joke. Like I said, I never said anything bad or negative about the Flyers or Torts to this kid.”
Hayes added that he also had too much respect for Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones to make such comments to Gauthier.
“I think the reporter who said that, him and his buddy there who's on the podcast … maybe they heard something from someone in the organization, I have no idea,” Hayes said. “But I didn’t do anything wrong here.
“He definitely got his clickbait. But yeah, it just continues with fans and people wishing harmful things about me, my family and my brother… At first I didn't give in at all to what was going on. But once it happens, it seems kind of crazy to me, so I felt like I had to say something.”
When contacted by The Athletic, SanFilippo declined to comment.
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