Brandon Hagel was going to be traded. That much was clear.
From new Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson calling for a rebuild to Hagel’s cheap contract to the list of Stanley Cup contenders thirsting for point-producers, there was no shot the 23-year-old would end the season in the Windy City.
Especially not after posting 21 goals and 16 assists through 55 games with the Hawks this year.
A trade was only a matter of time. Chicago knew it. The leaguer’s contenders knew it. Hagel knew it.
On Friday, the Tampa Bay Lightning ponied up to acquire the forward, sending two first round picks along with fringe players Boris Katchouk and forward Taylor Raddysh. It was a solid return for Chicago and one Tampa could’ve reasonably expected to give up. All the Lightning had to do was listen to what Hagel said about his trade value three weeks ago.
Speaking after another breakout performance, Hagel came pretty close to nailing exactly what the asking price was for his services:
Brandon Hagel joking about his trade value going up: “Two firsts, couple prospects. McDavid, maybe, I don’t know.” pic.twitter.com/lbWHLC2BOe
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) February 26, 2022
OK, so the Hawks didn’t land McDavid in the deal—which, we agree, might’ve been overpaying a bit—but Hagel got it right when he said it would take two first-rounders and two prospects for Chicago to deal him.
With the Lightning’s Stanley Cup window as wide open as it’ll ever get, the back-to-back champions don’t really need to second guess themselves here, either.
Tampa Bay is +750 to win a third consecutive Cup at Tipico Sportsbook and those odds may only get shorter by the time the trade deadline passes on March 21. In the meantime, Hagel can start polishing up his GM resume for when his playing days are done.
He’s clearly got a future here.
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