The New York Rangers have three pending unrestricted free agents in centre Kevin Hayes, 31-year-old winger Mats Zuccarello and 32-year-old Adam McQuaid. Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said the team has yet to open contract talks with the 26-year-old Hayes, though he can't sign an extension until January 1 since he inked a one-year, $5.175 million deal with the team in the offseason.

“We’ve got time,” Gorton said when asked about Hayes.

Hayes sits third on the Rangers in scoring this season with five goals and 16 points in 24 games. He's averaging 19:15 of ice time per game - second most among Rangers forwards - and leads the team with a plus-7 rating.

The 2010 first-round pick scored a career-high 25 goals last season and tallied 44 points. 

The Rangers are off to a surprising 12-10-2 this season in their first full campaign since announcing the franchise's intention to rebuild last February.

Though the team dropped back-to-back games to end last week, the Rangers still have an 8-3-1 record this month. The Rangers had been expected to be sellers at February's trade deadline, but that remains far from a certainty given the team's strong start.

“We’re going to watch what unfolds, evaluate and go from there,” Gorton told The New York Post over the weekend. “The way we play will be a factor in whatever decisions we make leading into the trade deadline. I’m certainly not in a hurry to do anything.”