Kevin Hayes gets it.

Being discarded by two teams in two years doesn’t look good.

AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File

And it doesn’t feel good.

In June of 2023, the Philadelphia Flyers were so eager to jettison the left-handed forward, they agreed to keep half of his remaining salary cap hit ($3,571,429) in a trade with the Blues.

And last month, the Blues unloaded Hayes after a single unappetizing season to the Pittsburgh Penguins (along with a second-round draft pick in 2025) for the nebulous “future considerations.”

“It’s definitely an ego shot when you go on two teams in two years,” Hayes said. “But I’m a pretty confident person. I’ve been in the league for a pretty long time. I’ve had successful seasons. I know what I need to do to make sure my game works in this league. I’ll have a good opportunity in Pittsburgh to do that.

“I think instead of it being an ego shot, I’ll use it more as motivation to show those two teams that I can still play and produce in this league.”

How that may unfold as an employee of the Penguins remains to be seen. Training camp doesn’t convene for approximately two months.

But the 32-year-old Hayes has had preliminary discussions with coaches about his potential role.

Above all else, he harbors excitement over his latest fresh start.

“I enjoyed my time in St. Louis and the guys on that team were amazing in the locker room,” Hayes said. “I just never really found a role at all, honestly. I’d have good games then I’d have stretches of bad games. In order for me to get back to where I think I should be in the league, just building the right relationship with the coach, gaining trust in the coach and being able to play in all situations. The style of play that I have, I’m kind of a pass-first type player. I kind of want to switch to maybe having a little bit more of a shooting mentality. I try to make the players that I play with a little bit better around me.

“I think the opportunity in Pittsburgh will allow that.”

Hayes has had a circuitous journey throughout his NHL career.

A first-round draft pick (No. 24 overall) of the Chicago Blackhawks, Hayes never signed with that team and opted to become a free agent after his NCAA career at Boston College was completed. He signed with the New York Rangers in 2014 and spent most of the first five years of his NHL existence in Manhattan before being dealt to the Winnipeg Jets and serving a brief spell as a rental in Manitoba.

In July of 2019, Hayes signed a massive seven-year contract with the Flyers that carried a salary cap hit of $7,142,857. During his four seasons with the Flyers, he largely performed as expected and even rose to being an All-Star in 2023.

But a lack of cohesion with Flyers coach John Tortorella and sputtering production late in the 2022-23 season led to him being dealt to the Blues last year.

As for his time in St. Louis, Hayes just never seemed to find a fit and was even a healthy scratch for a handful of games late during the 2023-24 campaign as the Blues made a late but futile push for a playoff spot.

In 79 games with the Blues, Hayes had 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) while averaging 14:28 of ice time per contest.

“In (Philadelphia), I signed a seven-year deal there,” Hayes said during a video conference on Tuesday. “Had one bad year with injuries. I don’t think the coach and I saw eye to eye my final year in (Philadelphia), which is totally fine. In St. Louis, I just feel like I never really found the correct role.

“I just didn’t fit into their plan I guess.”

The Penguins traded for Hayes on June 29 and two days later, president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas suggested a plan of Hayes serving as a fourth-line center, allowing Noel Acciari to slide to a winger role.

Hayes has played winger before in his career but professes a greater level of comfort in the middle.

“I enjoy playing center,” Hayes said. “I like the responsibility in being able to generate speed from the lower end of the ice to get me going up the ice. I’m comfortable playing both positions. I think I’ll be playing with some elite players to start the season. So, I don’t really care where I’ll be playing.”

One area Hayes (6-foot-5, 216 pounds) is eager to see a resurgence in is the penalty kill. The Blues used him sparingly in that capacity last season as he averaged only 12 seconds of short-handed ice time per contest. In contrast, he was regularly deployed as a leading penalty killer with the Flyers, though his average short-handed ice time slid from 2:01 in 2019-20 to only nine seconds in 2022-23.

Suiting up for the United States in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Championship tournament in May, the Dorcester, Mass. native saw a regular penalty-killing role for the red, white and blue.

“I’ve talked to both (head coach Mike Sullivan) and (assistant coach Mike) Vellucci about that already,” Hayes said. “Last year, I didn’t really have a look at it. I think I was top six or seven in faceoffs which usually helps on the (penalty kill) but I never really got a real chance there. Again, it was their decision. I always wanted to be on the (penalty kill) but never had it. In (Philadelphia), I thought I did a really good job on the (penalty kill). I still think it’s a big part of my game and I would guess I’d be doing some of it this year.”

After two down years, Hayes sees an avenue to returning to his previous form with his new team.

“Eager to get the season started to kind of show that I can still play in this league and be part of a winning team,” Hayes said. “They have some great players in this lineup so no matter who I’m playing with, I’m going to be excited. I still think I can produce in this league. I want to show that to my teammates and the coaching staff.”