Addition Of Brandon Hagel, Nick Paul Give Tampa Bay Lightning Yet Another Trade-Deadline Boost

If over the course of the next several weeks Brandon Hagel continues to improve his game, one that has matured noticeably at both ends of the rink this season, and Nick Paul puts his size to good use, then the Lightning and the city of Tampa might be planning a third straight boat parade.

After all, with the success the Lightning have achieved with their acquisitions the past couple of trade deadlines, there is no reason the sunny sky above Amalie Arena should not be the limit once again.

Sure, there is much hockey to be played, and the Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and other contenders residing in the Eastern Conference have designs on playing deep into the spring as well. Yet it is difficult not to admire the work Julien BriseBois continues to perform.

Tampa Bay’s general manager has had quite the touch at the trade deadline, something that contributed mightily to his team winning the past two Stanley Cups.

The moves made in February 2020 to acquire a pair of forwards, Blake Coleman from the Devils and Barclay Goodrow from the Sharks, paid off in a postseason that finally got under way in August following the virus-induced shutdown. Coleman had five goals, including what proved to be the insurance tally in the Cup-cinching Game 6 win over Dallas in the Edmonton bubble.

Coleman and Goodrow, each acquired for a first-round pick and a prospect, were key in the Lightning winning a second straight Cup, underscored by their collective effort in the final against Montreal when they combined for three goals and five assists in the five-game series.

Lightning fans will not soon forget Coleman’s highlight-reel goal at the end of the second period in Game 2 of the Cup final, a goal that proved to be the game-winner and gave the Bolts a 2-0 series lead. It was Goodrow who set up the goal with a nifty backhand pass.

In a three-team deal at last year’s deadline, the Lightning acquired defenseman David Savard from Columbus for a 2021 first-round selection and a 2022 third-rounder. Savard, a rental, not only brought a decade of NHL experience and dependability to the blue line, but had five assists in the postseason, including the primary assist on Ross Colton’s goal in a 1-0, Cup-clinching win against the Canadiens in Game 5.

This time around, the 23-year-old Hagel, acquired Friday along with fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2024, arrived in Tampa at a cost of rookies Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk as well as the Lightning’s first-round selections in 2023 and 2024. Hagel had 21 goals in 55 games with the Blackhawks while averaging 17:28 of ice time.

The 27-year-old Paul, who checks in at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds and dealt for Sunday, had a career high 11 goals with Ottawa, the team he broke in with in 2015-16. He can dish out the hits (122 in 2019-20) and play in the middle or at wing.

Acquiring Paul meant dealing Mathieu Joseph and a fourth-round pick in 2024, which the the Lightning had two of following the Hagel deal. Joseph, who was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2015, has two rings and a ton of character. He can be a restricted free agent following this season and, given the Lightning’s salary cap constraints, there was a good chance he would not have been retained. In order for Tampa Bay to remain under the cap, Ottawa is responsible for 44.5% of Paul’s $1.35 million cap hit.

The Lightning were not done dealing, though. A deep team got a little deeper at Monday’s deadline when they re-acquired forward Riley Nash from Arizona for future consideration. With the lack of cap space, the 32-year-old could be on his way to Tampa Bay’s Syracuse affiliate in the AHL.

Nash, who began 2021-22 with Winnipeg, played 10 games with the Lightning earlier this season before being waived in January.

The trade for Hagel is particularly appealing. During a press conference late Friday afternoon, BriseBois spoke about Hagel’s competitive nature and versatility, or as he put it, a “Swiss Army knife-type player.”

Hagel was a rookie last season when the Lightning and Blackhawks were in the same division during last year’s shortened season with its restructured alignment.

Hagel, who was undrafted, is being counted on to contribute toward another Cup this year and beyond. He is under contract through 2023-24 and with a cap hit of $1.5 million per year. As BriseBois pointed out, Hagel does not become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2025-26 season, so he is under team control for four seasons.

“We feel he not only improves our odds of winning a championship this season, but also the next two seasons because he’s under contract for two more years, and the terms of his contract are providing the club with really good value,” said BriseBois.

As far as the players and draft picks that went the other direction, BriseBois felt that getting a player with nearly two full seasons of experience who can be a long-term contributor in a Lightning uniform was well worth it. Should the Lightning continue to have lengthy playoff runs, the picks Chicago acquired will be in the latter stages of the first round.

“We are getting a sure thing, a player who has already established himself in the NHL,” he said. “He is 23 years old and we get the benefit of his current contract that provides really good value, and we get the benefit of him helping us chase a championship right now instead of maybe those two (draft picks) turning into NHL players down the road.”

Another sure thing is that the Lightning have every intention of winning it all once again. As with the 2020 and 2021 trade deadlines, what Tampa Bay did this year signals that there is no deviation from achieving the ultimate goal.