(670 The Score) - The Chicago Blackhawks have traded winger Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a pair of first round picks and two young players, the team announced Friday.
The 23-year-old Hagel was one of the Blackhawks’ best young players, scoring 21 goals and recording 16 assists in 55 games this season. The big move under the direction of first-year general manager Kyle Davidson came three days before the NHL Trade Deadline Monday.
"I said a few weeks ago that we are rebuilding, and this is clearly the start of that,” Davidson said in a statement. “Getting two first round draft picks as well as two young NHL players helps us kickstart that process in a major way. We know that Brandon Hagel was a fan favorite — our fans loved him for all the reasons we loved him — and we know he be successful with the Lightning.”
Chicago will receive Tampa Bay’s first round picks in 2023 and 2024. The Blackhawks will also receive 23-year-old winger Boris Katchouk and 24-year-old winger Taylor Raddysh.
Katchouk has two goals and four assists in 38 games this season. Raddysh has five goals and seven assists in 53 games.
Chicago will also send fourth round picks in 2022 and 2024 to Tampa Bay as part of the deal.
Hagel is under contract through the 2023-24 season at a cap hit of $1.5 million annually.
The native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round (159th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft. After his draft rights expired following the 2017-18 season, Hagel ended up finding a home in the Blackhawks organization, where he worked up the ranks and eventually earned a full-time roster spot in the NHL.
