Flyers center Kevin Hayes will need core-muscle surgery

Flyers center Kevin Hayes is set to undergo core muscle surgery sometime next week, GM Chuck Fletcher told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News (Twitter link).  The veteran had indicated last week when the season ended that he would need to go under the knife, but the specifics weren’t indicated at that time. Hayes had a somewhat quiet season offensively with a dozen goals and 19 assists in 55 games, yielding a point per game average that was just below his first season with the team (which was down from the year before that) but still managed to finish seventh in team scoring.  There’s no word on how long the recovery time from the procedure will be.

Other injury news from around the league:

• Oilers defenseman Kris Russell will not be available when their series against Winnipeg gets underway on Wednesday, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. The veteran suffered a leg injury late last month against Calgary, missing the final eight games as a result. His physicality and shot blocking are elements that head coach Dave Tippett would like to have on his back end, but with Russell unavailable, Caleb Jones is expected to start on the third pairing. Meanwhile, winger Kailer Yamamoto, who missed the last two games, will be available to suit up.
• Hurricanes center Cedric Paquette remains unavailable and was not in the lineup for their opener against Nashville, relays Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer (Twitter link). The 27-year-old last played in late April and has been battling an undisclosed injury since then. Paquette averaged 4.5 hits per game in Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup run last season, and Carolina will be counting on a similar level of physicality once he’s able to return.
• Maple Leafs defenseman Ben Hutton doesn’t have an injury but he’s not currently available due to a non-COVID-related medical issue, mentions TSN’s Kristen Shilton (Twitter link). The situation is currently being monitored by team doctors.  Toronto brought the 28-year-old in at the trade deadline for injury depth heading into the playoffs. But he suited up only four times after being acquired from Anaheim.