This isn’t as much about the return the Rangers got from Winnipeg as it is about Kevin Hayes. Because once you accept the fact management never quite bought into No. 13 as a worthy and dependable enough core piece to award a five- or six-year contract extension at somewhere around $6-6.5 million per, then the first-rounder and bottom-six winger Brendan Lemieux acquired from the Jets by general manager Jeff Gorton is a reasonable rental return.
Of course, Hayes’ asking price for an extension went up as the season went on. The aforementioned numbers were right on the mark last offseason.