[Professional Blog] Hayes a hot commodity

For all the talk on the message boards and among hockey circles, youd swear Mike Hayes were the Messiah of senior hockey in this province. Since the season started, a Hayes trade rumour mill has been spinning out of control. Ive read that he was getting traded to the Clarenville Caribous for Andrew Pearcey. Or the Southern Shore for Berrick Laughlin. Some were proposing Hayes was involved in a deal with the CeeBees for Brent Lynch and Sean Wadden. Now, there is a degree of truth to the last one. CeeBees bench boss Eddie Oates said Hayes, who plays ball hockey with a few CeeBee stalwarts in the offseason, has expressed an interest about joining the organization for the past two years. Oates said they tried to ascertain his rights from Torbay, but and Oates is saying why the two sides couldnt agree. Then, out of nowhere, Torbay worked a deal with Mount Pearl that saw the expansion club part ways with their two first round draft picks for next season. Thats a head scratcher in itself. An expansion team trading what will be the first and third pick for a veteran who has just shy of 10 times as many penalty minutes as he has points 555 to 57. Great for Torbay, though. Drop the player who isnt playing and get two talented young players to add to the mix for next season. No offense to the guys in Mount Pearl, theyve done a great job so far with what is, for all intents and purpose an over-age junior team. But theyre chief concern, if dropping two first rounders, should have been goal scoring. But I digress. Why? Because the rumour mill is spinning again. This time, however, with notions of Mount Pearl and the CeeBees working a deal that would see Hayes join the defending Herder champs. And the player headed to the Pearl in return? Rumour has it Daniel Sparkes is on the block. Itll be interesting to see if Hayes does become a CeeBee before the season is out and more interesting to see what role hell play on a lineup already spilling over with talent.