A Key Pittsburgh Penguin Might Be Back Sooner Than Expected After Sighting at Practice

There was some good news today at Penguins practice, as injured forward Kevin Hayes was seen sporting a yellow jersey, which, according to NHL insider Seth Rorabaugh, means he has been cleared for contact again.

Hayes suffered an upper-body injury during the first day of on-ice work at Penguins training camp back in September.

Head coach Dan Muse had said at the time that he would remain out for at least a month, and likely much longer, before being re-evaluated.

After evaluation, his estimated time of return was pushed out even further, but this yellow jersey today likely means he is progressing well and could be back sooner rather than later.

The veteran Hayes is entering the final season of his contract, and he wanted to prove he can maintain a spot in the lineup ahead of a bevy of younger forwards looking to make an impact for the retooling Pens.

There is a marginal chance he ends up on the outside of their top 12 forwards when he's cleared to return as a result of how well the youngsters and free agent signings, such as Justin Brazeau, have been performing so far this season.

Hayes, 33, arrived in the 2024 offseason as a cap dump by the Blues. The Flyers are still on the hook for half of his salary they retained when trading him to St. Louis, so he only costs $3.57M against the Penguins' cap, which is an easier pill to swallow.

The veteran of nearly 800 NHL games is no longer the consistent top-six presence he used to be, now failing to reach 30 points in back-to-back seasons.

He was limited to just 64 games last year, partially due to injury but also due to several healthy scratches, and scored 13 goals, added 10 assists, for a total of 23 points, with an abysmal -15 rating.