TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Brandon Hagel to an eight-year contract extension worth $52 million, Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois announced Tuesday.
What You Need To Know
- Lightning extend contract of forward Brandon Hagel for eight seasons
- The total value of the deal is $52 million, or about $6.5 million per year against the salary cap
- Last season was Hagel's best so far in the NHL as he had 64 points in 81 games
- Tampa Bay acquired him in a trade with Chicago before the 2022 deadline
Hagel will count $6.5 million against the salary cap annually when the new contract kicks in for the 2024-25 season.
The soon-to-be 28-year-old had a career-best 64 points in 81 games last season, his first full one with the Lightning since they acquired him in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. He finished tied for third on the Bolts for goals and tied for fourth for scoring last season. He also set career marks for plus/minus (23), penalty minutes (54), power-play goals (7), shots (178), average time on ice (18 minutes, 39 seconds), blocked shots (58), hits (68) and takeaways (92), ranking second in the NHL for takeaways.
Tampa Bay gave up two first-round draft picks to get Hagel from the Blackhawks before the 2022 trade deadline.
The Lightning, who won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and ’21, are aiming to keep their championship window open for years. This signing makes Hagel an important part of that quest.
Hagel joins fellow forwards Nikita Kucherov, Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point and Nick Paul, defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy as players signed for at least three more seasons.
He is earning a significant raise from the just over $2 million Hagel will get paid this season. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native who was originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round in 2016, has 143 points in 240 regular-season and playoff games.