NHL Rumors: Brandon Hagel garnering interest, and goalie trade market
Anthony Scultore
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The Chicago Blackhawks are getting phone calls on forward Brandon Hagel. Over the summer, they signed the restricted free agent to a three-year, $4.5 million contract.
Hagel, 23, finished fifth in team scoring during his rookie season in 2020-21 by scoring 24 points in 52 games. This season, he’s picked up his pace with 27 points in 46 contests thus far.
NHL Rumors: Teams calling on Hagel
It’s not surprising that teams, likely talking with the Blackhawks about pending UFAs and other veterans wouldn’t at least inquire about Hagel.
Dylan Strome, who is just 24 and a pending RFA himself was said to be on the block this season. That was prior to GM Stan Bowman resigning and head coach Jeremy Colliton being fired. The franchise is still in a state of flux searching for a new GM, and interim GM Kyle Davidson is being pressed on trades.
So are the Blackhawks considering a move of Hagel?
“Not only is he just 23 and getting better all the time, but he’s also signed for a mere $1.5 million cap hit over the next two seasons. It’s highly unlikely a pick in the mid-to-late 20s is going to provide that kind of value,” Mark Lazerus wrote in The Athletic. “The Blackhawks understand that, and, according to one team source, have no intention of moving him.”
While I concur that the Hawks have no intention of moving him, if the right hockey deal comes along, the rebuilding franchise will need to consider it.
NHL Goalie Trade Market
The NHL goalie market for the trade deadline is always an interesting case. We know there are teams that can use help in goal. For example, the Golden Knights would like some insurance as Robin Lehner is dealing with an upper-body issue. In Washington, they may be looking for a more reliable veteran starter which can also be said for Edmonton, and Colorado.
If any team wants to go big game hunting, it starts and ends with Marc-Andre Fleury. He recently spoke about the Trade Deadline and explained that should he waive his no-move clause it would only be to a contender.
Outside of that the market is open, yet uncertain.
The Dallas Stars have two veterans but will likely only trade one. Braden Holtby is who teams want, but it’s Anton Khudobin that gets dealt.
Here are some other intriguing names to keep an eye out for at the deadline:
- Alexandar Georgiev, NYR (RFA)
- Thomas Greiss, DET (UFA)
- Martin Jones, PHI (UFA)
- Joonas Korpisalo, CBJ (UFA)
- Jaro Halak, VAN (UFA)
- Anton Forsberg, OTT (UFA)
