Hayes, who will need five weeks to recover, was scratched for a 5-3 loss against the New Jersey Devils on April 29. Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said he wasn't pleased with the center's play at the time even though Hayes wasn't 100 percent.
"He would have been available," Vigneault said the next day. "He definitely can play better. He's a better player than what he's shown here in the last little while."
Hayes scored 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 55 games this season and has scored 72 points (35 goals, 37 assists) in 124 games for the Flyers. He was acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets on June 3, 2019, and signed a seven-year, $50 million contract ($7.14 million average annual value ) with Philadelphia on June 19.
Hayes has scored 301 points (127 goals, 174 assists) in 505 NHL games for the New York Rangers, Jets and Flyers.
Philadelphia (25-23-8) was sixth in the eight-team MassMutual East Division and failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs after reaching the Eastern Conference Second Round last season. The Flyers have alternated reaching and missing the playoffs in nine straight seasons since qualifying five straight times from 2007-12.
NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman contributed to this report
