Blackhawks and Bolts make a trade

On March 18th, the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Brandon Hagel from the Chicago Blackhawks for 2 first-round picks.

Lightning Acquire: The Lightning added winger Brandon Hagel and two 2022 fourth-round picks.  

Brandon Hagel (23) has been excellent in his second season in the NHL. Hagel has scored 37 points (21 goals, 16 assists) in 55 games with Chicago this year. He plays a hard-nosed game for a smaller player. He has a combination of speed and skill and is a deadly offensive weapon. Because of his work ethic and skill, Hagel can play up and down the lineup.  He will likely fit on the 3rd line, a gritty checking line, with Ross Colton and Matthew Joseph. The Lightning also added 2 fourth-round picks.  

Blackhawks Acquire: The Blackhawks added Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, and two first-round picks.

The Blackhawks add two depth players in Katchouk and Raddysh who will fill roster spots. Those two didn’t have the opportunity to flourish on the stacked Lightning team.  They are 23 and 24 years old respectively, so maybe there’s still some upside for the former second-round picks.

The main return for the Blackhawks is the 2023 and 2024 first-round picks. The Blackhawks need to replenish their farm system and two first-round picks go a long way to adding future players to the lineup. Many were surprised that the Blackhawks were able to get two first-round picks for Hagel, but due to his contract certainty (1.5 million till 2024) he garnered a big return.

Jonathan Toews and the Blackhawks

Jonathan Toews is not happy with the state of his organization.  The guy known as Captain Serious has serious concerns about the future of the Blackhawks.  

The last few years have not been kind to the Blackhawks, having missed the playoffs the 3 out of the last 4 years.  It feels like this team has to be put on the backs of Kane and Toews to make it back there again. Toews prides himself on the organization’s professionalism and he feels like it’s owed to him to know the plans of management.  After finally buying into the rebuild, The Athletic interviewed Toews about the Hagel Trade. “If he’s not a guy that’s a part of a rebuild, then I don’t know,” said Toews on Hagel. He goes on to say that if they traded Hagel, he doesn’t think anyone is safe approaching the trade deadline on Monday.

Toews is just 6 games shy of 1,000 games, an accomplishment he would like to do in a Blackhawks jersey.

Top teams are buying 

Rangers and Panthers: The New York Rangers have added Frank Vatrano to their offense core. The 28-year-old Vatrano has 19 points (10 goals, 9 assists) and is coming from Florida for a fourth-round pick in 2022.

Avalanche and Ducks: The Avalanche acquired defenseman Josh Manson from Anaheim. The Avalanche added another top 4 caliber defenseman to help make a deep playoff run. The Ducks acquired prospect Drew Hellinson and a second-round pick in 2023.

Panthers and Canadiens: The Panthers acquired defenseman Ben Chariot from Montreal. The Panthers added a top 6 defenseman to fill in as needed. With the injury to Aaron Ekbladm, he will play a more prominent role on this playoff-bound team. The Canadiens added Florida’s 2023 first-round pick. 

Flames and Kraken: The Flames added Calle Jarnkrok from Seattle for 3 picks. Those picks are Calgary’s 2022 second, 2023 third, 2024 seventh.

Flyers Trade Claude Giroux

The Panthers have landed the biggest name available this deadline, former Flyers captain Claude Giroux. The 33-year-old center has been with the Flyers since he was drafted by them in 2006. In his historic career, Giroux has played in 1,000 games and tallied 900 points (291 goals, 609 assists), all with the Flyers.

Now, he is heading to South Florida and brings with him playoff experience that the Panthers so desperately want. Giroux is a winner going to an organization that has a losing culture. Florida has not won a round in the playoffs since 1996, and they are hoping Claude Giroux would be a key part of this redemption.

Going back to Philadelphia is a former first-round pick in Owen Tippett (22), a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2023 third-round pick.