The Flyers’ leading scorer Kevin Hayes was healthy scratched Saturday by head coach John Tortorella.
VOORHEES, N.J. — Kevin Hayes learned he had been benched when he didn't see his No. 13 on the lineup board Saturday morning in the locker room.
"I don't think anyone enjoys being scratched," Hayes said Monday following practice. "Wasn't happy, but it's not my decision."
John Tortorella made a far-from-small decision by sitting his leading scorer Saturday night against the Rangers. It came two days after the head coach benched Hayes for the entire third period of the Flyers' 2-1 win over the Devils at the Prudential Center.
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Hayes didn't agree with Saturday's benching but the 30-year-old forward understood he had to live with it. He sat helplessly in the Wells Fargo Center press box as the Flyers lost to his former team, 6-3.
"I'm never going to say there's a benefit to being benched, I'm sorry," Hayes said. "I don't think I should have been benched, but it's not my decision. He's the coach, I'm a player. He makes the lineup, he wants the best team on the ice to ultimately win. That's what he went with that night.
"You can be benched and everyone writes about being better defensively. I try every night to be the best player I can be. Some nights it goes well for me and some nights it doesn't. I try to be consistent. He felt like I was doing worse for the team than better so he decided not to play me."
With under a minute left in the second period Thursday of a 1-1 game, Hayes committed a turnover at the blue line. It led to a 2-on-1 for New Jersey but the Devils didn't score.
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"I try my hardest every night to do the right things here," Hayes said. "Sometimes things don't go your way. I think the icing on the cake was the turnover in Jersey. But I think everyone on this team knows I wasn't trying to turn the puck over. C'mon, like — it's a 2-on-1 the other way. If you're wanting to do that, you're insane. I guess I should have gotten the puck deep. Who knows, maybe I would have been in the lineup the next game, maybe not."
When asked if he had talked to Tortorella about Saturday's benching, Hayes said that stays between the coach and player. Tortorella was tight-lipped, as well, about any conversation between the two.
What does Hayes think Tortorella wants to see change in his game?
"I'm going to guess be better defensively," he said.
At the end of November, Tortorella highlighted defensive struggles for why he moved Hayes from center to winger.
Hayes, who has a team-leading 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) over 31 games, will be back in the lineup Tuesday when the Flyers host the Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Tortorella, trying to manage the magnitude of the storyline, didn't want to speak at length on the topic of benching his leading scorer. Through 32 games this season, he has sat Hayes for a full third period twice and a full game once.
"I'm not going to get into a discussion," Tortorella said Monday. "That's where you guys want me to go. As I said, and I'm not trying to be coy, stuff happens, I have to make decisions on people. Standards are held for everybody in this organization, no matter what draft pick, no matter what stature, no matter what you're thought about out in the area here — I have to hold a standard for everybody. And that's how it's going to be. I think that's the proper way to build this hockey club and I'm going to stick by it."
Tortorella said he felt there has been "no disconnect" between himself and Hayes.
"I have had many conversations with Kevin," the head coach said. "Had conversations prior to this. Again, I don't want to get into a public debate with Kevin with you guys as far as why. It's one of the things I pride myself on is being honest with a player. I think they deserve the honesty, whether it be good or bad. That is my job, is to be honest with them.
"I'm sure you guys think it's because of a turnover, the turnover in the middle of the ice. I'm never scratching a player for one mistake. And this is where Kevin and I have had those conversations much prior to him missing a game.
"I'll leave it that. Let's leave it at that, that's fair."
Hayes is in the fourth year of his seven-year, $50 million contract with the Flyers. He's a leader in the club's locker room.
Chuck Fletcher said the general manager and Tortorella "speak about everything," including big lineup decisions like this one.
"It's part of the process with John," the Flyers' GM said of Tortorella's call to sit Hayes. "He demands a lot out of the players. Certainly Kevin has been a really good player for us this year, leading our team in scoring. I think there are other areas of his game that John wants to see a little bit more out of — that's part of the coach-player dynamic. But we speak about those things all the time.
"The great thing about John: there's no doghouse with John Tortorella. He makes his points, whether it's ice time or you sit for a bit or you miss a game, but you're always going to get that chance to get back in there.
"Kevin's a really important part of our team. He's a great person and a really important part of our team. I'm sure he'll respond the right way."
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