I personally thought that Arnold did a lot more to drive that line than Hayes did. I thought Hayes was the 3rd most valuable player on that line. His foot-speed is not at an NHL level (as we saw from the WC), and he is not physical, though he is big. As for Hayes being better than Smith (I assuming Hunter Smith?) - sure, for the moment. However, Hayes is not guaranteed to become an everyday NHL'er either.
With that being said, I still hope that the Flames sign him if he becomes available. He has size, and a good shot, and in a position of weakness organizationally.
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