The Tampa Bay Lightning decided to inject a little news into a slow, summer Tuesday as they announced an eight-year, $52 million extension for Brandon Hagel. The contract works out to a cap hit of $6.5 million per season, not bad for a 30-goal scorer that can also kill a penalty or two. Extending Hagel, who is in the final year of a four-year deal he signed with Chicago in the summer of 2021 wasn’t a must do for general manager Julien BriseBois this offseason, but it does eliminate a distraction for the 24 year-old forward and locks in a potential part of the next core of Lightning players.
Hagel was acquired at the 2022 trade deadline in a deal that involved some draft picks and prospects Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh. Since joining the Lightning he’s put up 71 points (34 goals, 37 assists) in 103 regular season games while adding another 11 (3 goals, 8 assists) in 29 postseason games. Originally a draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, Hagel had a career year in 2022-23 as he scored 30 goals and added 34 assists to finish fourth on the team in scoring.
The signing of Hagel continues a recent trend by Mr. BriseBois in which he identifies young players that fit into the style of play he likes, pays a handsome sum for them at the trade deadline, and then signs them to long-term extensions at a relatively acceptable cap hit. If Hagel continues to produce at a top-line rate and the the salary cap rises over the next few seasons, this could turn into a steal of a signing for the Lightning general manager.
The full press release is below:
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning signed forward Brandon Hagel to an eight-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $6.5 million, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today. The contract extension will begin with the 2024-25 season.
The 24-year-old Hagel established career highs for goals (30), assists (34) and scoring (64 pts.) in 2022-23, his first full season with the Lightning, and finished tied for third on the Bolts for goals and tied for fourth for scoring. He also set career marks for plus/minus (23), penalty minutes (54), power-play goals (7), shots (178), average time on ice (18:39), blocked shots (58), hits (68) and takeaways (92), ranking second in the NHL for takeaways. Additionally, the 6-foot-2, 179-pound Hagel played in all six of Tampa Bay’s games during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and led all Lightning forwards for average time on ice (21:01) while contributing a goal and five points to place second on the Bolts for assists (4) and tied for third for scoring.
Tampa Bay acquired Hagel from Chicago on March 18, 2022 prior to the trade deadline, and he made his Lightning debut a day later versus the New York Rangers. The left-shot winger has played 103 regular season games with the Bolts, recording 34 goals and 71 points, and has been a part of two playoff runs with the Lightning, tallying three goals and 11 points over 29 playoff contests.
Hagel was originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round, 159th overall, at the 2016 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut March 11, 2020 with Chicago and spent parts of three seasons with the Blackhawks before joining the Lightning. For his career, Hagel has posted 64-68—132 points in 211 NHL regular season contests.
