<p>The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/line-combinations">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> will begin the 2025-26 season without Kevin Hayes in the lineup as the veteran right winger is sidelined with an upper-body injury, reports <a href="https://x.com/JoshYohe_PGH/status/1969130186714034291">Josh Yohe of The Athletic</a>. Yohe adds that Hayes’ injury status will be re-evaluated in one month.</p>



<p>Skating in his debut season with the Penguins a year ago, Hayes saw 64 appearances in which he collected 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points coupled with eight penalty minutes and a minus-15 rating.</p>



<p>Prior to arriving in Pittsburgh, the 33-year-old native of Dorchester, Mass., had seen stops with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-york-rangers/line-combinations">New York Rangers</a>, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/winnipeg-jets/line-combinations">Winnipeg Jets</a>, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/philadelphia-flyers/line-combinations">Philadelphia Flyers</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/st-louis-blues/line-combinations">St. Louis Blues</a>. With the Flyers in 2022-23, Hayes reached a career best of 54 points counting 18 goals and 36 assists across 81 games. Hayes has also scored 20 or goals on two occasions. In all, through 777 career contests, Hayes has registered 181 goals and 256 assists for 437 points. Hayes has also added eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points through 56 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="175"></div>



<p>Hayes enters the 2025-26 season in the final year of a seven-year pact that carries a salary cap hit that stands just north of $7.14 million, according to <a href="https://puckpedia.com/player/kevin-hayes">PuckPedia</a>. Hayes is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason and could be a prime trade piece ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.</p>



<p>The Penguins open the 2025-26 season on October 6 on the road versus the Metropolitan Division rival Rangers. Pittsburgh closed out the 2024-25 campaign with a 34-36-12 record to finish 11 points shy of the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/montreal-canadiens/line-combinations">Montreal Canadiens</a> for the second wildcard position in the Eastern Conference. In all, the Penguins have failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past three seasons, while the club’s last postseason series win came in 2018 versus the Flyers.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="133"></div>
