Lightning acquire forward Brandon Hagel from Blackhawks

H@ssan3lkhalaf19 March، 2022

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The defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Brandon Hagel and two fourth-round

selections in exchange for two first-round picks and two prospects, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Hagel is going to TB with two fourths, for two firsts and prospects. Obviously still working on prospects

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 18, 2022

Raddysh & Katchouk are the two Lightning players

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 18, 2022

In addition to Hagel, the Lightning will receive fourth-round selections in 2022 and 2024.

The Blackhawks gain first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, as well as prospects Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk, both of whom played for Canada in the 2018 World Juniors.

After declaring that nothing was off the table, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois went all-in, much as he did in 2020 when he acquired Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. These changes pave the way for Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

Hagel’s acquisition had a similar tone.

A late bloomer who was picked by Buffalo in 2016 but went unsigned, the product of Morinville, Alberta, just outside of Edmonton, took advantage of injuries in Chicago last season to establish himself in the NHL.

When Hagel made his debut for Chicago on March 11, 2020 — the penultimate game before the season was postponed due to the epidemic — he was simply another forward prospect in a congested roster picture when play resumed in 2021.

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Then, due to a string of injuries among Chicago’s forwards, an opportunity opened up, and Hagel took a regular role with his continuous energy.

He recorded nine goals and 15 points in 52 games last season, and the Blackhawks rewarded him with a three-year, $4.5 million deal in August.

Tampa Bay will absorb the whole salary, using the cap space gained by transferring Raddysh and Katchouk to Chicago.

It’s yet another brilliant cap maneuver by BriseBois, who added experienced forwards Corey Perry and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

and brought back defender Zach Bogosian in the winter after losing Coleman and Goodrow in free agency and Yanni Gourde in

the Seattle expansion draft.

“Having two first-round draft selections as well as two young NHL players helps us get that process started in a big way.

” We know Brandon Hagel was a fan favorite — our fans adored him for the same reasons we adored him — and we know he will be a success with the Lightning.”

The Lightning are once again betting on their ability to make a deep run and have the scouting ability to identify potential in later rounds of the draft.

They demonstrated this by selecting Brayden Point in the third round in 2014 and assisting him in developing into their top center.

With three years remaining in what BriseBois has regarded as Tampa Bay’s championship window, the price seemed almost seconds after the rival Florida Panthers moved for top-four defender Ben Chiarot and might make another huge move before the deadline Monday.

Source: SN