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Brandon Hagel

Lightning Notes: Bjorkstrand, Hagel, Hedman, Other Injuries, Howard, Cooper

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The Lightning played their short-lived 2025 playoff schedule against the Panthers with an extremely banged-up roster (more on that later). One player who wasn’t available at all during the series was trade deadline acquisition Oliver Bjorkstrand. Speaking today during his end-of-season media availability, general manager Julien BriseBois said Bjorkstrand developed compartment syndrome following a game against the Red Wings on April 11 and had emergency surgery early the following morning (via the team’s Benjamin Pierce).

That’s obviously a much more serious ailment than what the Bolts initially let on. He was declared week-to-week with a lower-body injury ahead of their final three regular-season games, but no information was dispensed following that. Acute compartment syndrome occurs due to increased pressure in and around muscles following an injury and can be life-threatening if not treated quickly, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Bjorkstrand is thankfully expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, BriseBois said. He finished the year with 5-4–9 in 18 games after Tampa acquired him from the Kraken, and he has one year left on his deal at a $5.4MM cap hit.

More on the Lightning:

  • Brandon Hagel confirmed he sustained a concussion on the hit from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad in Game 4 that ended his series, Jay Recher relays. Ekblad was suspended two games for the hit and will miss Game 1 of the second round against Toronto as a result. Hagel, who was limited to a minus-four rating in three games of the series due to his injury and a previous suspension, added that Ekblad didn’t approach him beforehand to discuss a retaliatory fight for Hagel’s suspension-causing hit on Florida captain Aleksander Barkov, nor has Ekblad reached out to Hagel following his concussion. “I would have answered the bell if someone would have said, ’Let’s fight,'” Hagel said. “I don’t care if I would have got my ass kicked. I have to respond to a situation. I understood it was the case” (via Loux).
  • Captain Victor Hedman played the last two games of the series on a broken foot, BriseBois said (via Diandra Loux of The Hockey News). He’ll be ready for camp in the fall after recording three assists and a minus-six rating in the series.
  • Other Bolts playing through injuries were Anthony Cirelli (Grade 2 MCL sprain), Luke Glendening (right shoulder AC joint separation), Nikita Kucherov (left hand extensor), Nick Paul (left wrist tear), and Yanni Gourde (broken finger), Brisebois told reporters. Like Bjorkstrand and Hedman, they’re all expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, although Glendening and Gourde are pending unrestricted free agents and may not be back with the team.
  • BriseBois confirmed a report last month from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that they’re unlikely to sign 2022 first-round pick Isaac Howard to an entry-level contract (via Recher). They’ll focus on trading his signing rights over the next year while he returns to Michigan State for his senior season. If they can’t sign or trade the Hobey Baker winner’s rights by Aug. 15, 2026, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent, the Lightning will receive a compensatory 2027 second-round pick (No. 65 overall) for failing to sign a first-round draft choice.
  • Head coach Jon Cooper will serve out the final season of his contract in Tampa despite recent speculation otherwise, BriseBois said (via Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times). “When this contract ends, my expectation is he’s going sign another one and he’s going to be here…So Coop will be back next year, and I expect beyond,” BriseBois said.

Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad Receives Two Game Suspension

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6:32 p.m.: Ekblad will miss Game 5 and Game 6 of Florida’s series against the Lightning or Game 5 against Tampa and Game 1 against their Round Two opponent. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they have suspended Ekblad for two games for elbowing.

10:43 a.m.: Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is facing another suspension after knocking Lightning winger Brandon Hagel out of last night’s Game 4 with a high hit, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet was first to report. It’s a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety, so he’s ineligible to be suspended for longer than five games.

Midway through the second period, Ekblad came down the halfwall to deliver a check to Hagel. Instead of making body-on-body contact, Ekblad raised his forearm to contact Hagel’s head, forcing the latter into concussion protocol. He did not return to the game, nor was Ekblad penalized on the play, in what many chastised as a missed call. Florida scored three goals in the final four minutes of the game to win 4-2 and take a 3-1 series lead, with Ekblad scoring the game-tying goal.

While the hit itself likely warrants a second look for supplemental discipline regardless of the context, the length of Ekblad’s likely pending suspension could be increased if DoPS determines it was a retaliatory hit. Hagel had just returned to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for interference against Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Ekblad wasn’t the only Panthers defenseman to lay a controversial hit in Game 4. Niko Mikkola was ejected from the game early in the third period and given a major penalty for boarding Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons. He won’t face a suspension, though. DoPS announced Tuesday he’s been fined $5,000 for the play but won’t have a hearing.

The 29-year-old Ekblad had just returned from a 20-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances rules in Game 3 of the series. His goal was his first point since returning. He posted a minus-three rating across Games 3 and 4 while averaging 21:16 of ice time.

Lightning’s Brandon Hagel To Miss Game 5

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Lightning top-six winger Brandon Hagel has been ruled out for Wednesday’s Game 5 matchup against the Panthers as he remains in suspected concussion protocol, head coach Jon Cooper said (per the team).

Tampa Bay now faces elimination without its second-leading point getter from the regular season. Even if they manage a win at home to stay alive in the series, there’s no timeline yet for Hagel’s return.

“He’s not playing tomorrow, and you know why,” Cooper said (per the team’s Benjamin Pierce). The reason Cooper’s referring to is a high hit from Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad midway through the second period of last night’s Game 4 loss that earned him a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today. Ekblad will presumably miss Game 5 as well, if not longer, due to his pending suspension.

“There’s that catchy word called adversity, so the script doesn’t always go as planned,” Cooper said (via Pierce). “But I tell the players, let’s be the ones that write our own story.” The Lightning are trying to avoid their third straight first-round exit after making three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals from 2020 to 2022. Last year’s defeat also came at the hands of the eventual champion Panthers in five games.

Hagel, who erupted for a career-high 35 goals and 90 points in the regular season while playing in all 82 games, has only been available for two and a half games of this series. He was suspended for Game 3 after delivering an illegal hit to Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2 and was limited to 11 minutes of ice time in Game 4 before the Ekblad hit. He’s been held without a point, only managing three shots on goal and a minus-four rating.

Nick Paul hopped up to Hagel’s spot on Anthony Cirelli’s wing in Game 3 when Hagel was unavailable. It’s unclear if he’ll do so again. Cooper has opted to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the majority of the series, with the Hagel and Cirelli duo routinely going without a consistent winger as a result.

Brandon Hagel Receives One-Game Suspension

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Down 2-0 in their opening-round series to Florida, the Lightning will be without one of their top wingers for Saturday’s game as the league announced late Friday that Brandon Hagel received a one-game suspension for his hit on Aleksander Barkov on Thursday.

The incident occurred just before the midway mark of the third period with Hagel receiving a major penalty for interference on the play but not a game misconduct.  Barkov left the game and did not return; head coach Paul Maurice revealed Friday that the center hasn’t been ruled out or in for tonight’s contest.

In the video explaining the decision, the Department of Player Safety noted that supplemental discipline was warranted because Barkov was never in possession of the puck and therefore was not eligible to be checked.  After the puck was well past the players, Hagel delivered “a high, hard body check that makes some head contact.”

Hagel made the case that he approached the play as if Barkov would eventually play the puck as it came to him, but the ruling stated that “the onus is on Hagel to ensure that the player he is hitting is eligible to be checked” and that he intentionally delivered “an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent with sufficient force.”

This is Hagel’s first career suspension in 375 regular-season and 36 playoff games. However, it’s not his first supplemental discipline for a playoff incident against the Panthers as he was fined for boarding Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen back in May 2022.

Lightning’s Brandon Hagel Facing Suspension

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Lightning winger Brandon Hagel will have a player safety hearing today for his major interference penalty against Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in last night’s loss, the league announced.

Officials upheld the major for Hagel after reviewing the play, which occurred midway through the third period of Tampa’s eventual 2-0 loss in Game 2. While Hagel was forechecking on Barkov as the puck got dumped into the Tampa zone, he delivered a huge check as the two neared the corner. While there wasn’t a ton of head contact and the mechanics of the hit appeared rather clean, there was one problem – Barkov never had nor came close to having possession of the puck, resulting in a five-minute power play for the Cats (video via Sportsnet). Barkov didn’t return to the game after the collision, and the team has yet to issue an update on his status for Game 3 in Sunrise on Saturday.

Generally, supplemental discipline for interference doesn’t result in particularly long suspensions. That should hold true, especially considering the time of year, but Barkov leaving the game doesn’t bode well for Hagel’s case to walk away with just a fine. After scoring a career-high 35 goals in the regular season and setting the all-time record for goals in a season without a power-play marker, Hagel has no points and a minus-four rating through two games against Florida.

The 26-year-old isn’t the only one struggling to produce. Only Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point have scored for the Bolts thus far, and notable secondary names like Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul have yet to record a point. Still, potentially missing him for Game 3 as the series shifts to South Florida will certainly make life harder for the higher-seeded Lightning as they try to avoid going down 3-0 in the series against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Jake Debrusk Wants To Stay With Boston Bruins

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Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk reportedly wants to stay with the team beyond this season as he is set to become a free agent on July 1st of next year. NHL.com Staff Writer Derek Van Diest writes that the 26-year-old told reporters at the Perry Pearn 3 vs. 3 Hockey Camp that he is hoping to stay with the team that he grew up with.

It’s a departure from how the former first-round pick felt about his future just a short time ago. DeBrusk requested a trade from the Bruins in November of 2021 after he was benched by former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. He eventually had a change of heart and rescinded his request in 2022. Through all the ups and downs Bruins management supported DeBrusk, as did his teammates.

Last year DeBrusk rewarded the team’s support with the best season of his NHL career. He set career highs with 27 goals and 23 assists in 64 games while posting a +26. It was night and day with his 2020-21 season where he posted career lows with just five goals and nine assists in 41 games.

The Bruins have seen a lot of players depart from the team that won an NHL record 65 games last season. Gone are Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov, and while most teams would struggle to overcome those kinds of losses, the Bruins should be able to remain competitive.

Part of remaining competitive will be to extend their upcoming free agents starting with DeBrusk. The Edmonton, Alberta native has made it clear he wants to stay, but what will his extension look like? A lot of comparisons to Brandon Hagel have been thrown around since he signed his new deal last week. However, Hagel is almost two years younger and put up 30 goals and 34 assists this past season in 81 games. On the flip side, DeBrusk has a longer track record of success and is set to hit unrestricted free agency.

While the players aren’t a mirror image of one another, Hagel’s contract is a pretty good comparison for the Bruins and DeBrusk to utilize as a framework for an extension that both sides appear eager to sign.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Brandon Hagel To Eight-Year Extension

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11:50 AM: CapFriendly has provided the financial breakdown of Hagel’s extension:

2024-25: $1.82MM + $7.18M SB
2025-26: $2.5MM + $6.5M SB
2026-27: $6.75MM
2027-28: $5.45MM
2028-29: $4.45MM + $1M SB
2029-30: $4.45MM + $1M SB
2030-31: $4.45MM + $1M SB
2031-32: $4.45MM + $1M SB

8:30 AM: The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Brandon Hagel to an eight-year contract extension, carrying an AAV of $6.5MM. The deal will start in the 2024-25 season, at the expiry of Hagel’s current $1.5MM AAV deal. Hagel, who will turn 25 on Sunday, was set to become a restricted free agent next summer.

This contract is a significant one for both Hagel and the Lightning franchise. For Hagel, he’s committing himself to Tampa Bay for what is likely to be the prime of his playing career. The deal will stretch from his age-26 season (2024-25) through 2031-32, Hagel’s age-33 season.

For Tampa Bay, the team has now invested a significant portion of their available cap space for the rest of the decade into Hagel, betting that his strong form from 2022-23 will not only be maintained into future seasons, but built upon.

Hagel was originally a late-round draft choice by the Buffalo Sabres at the 2016 draft but was not tendered an entry-level contract by the team. He signed with the Chicago Blackhawks at the conclusion of his WHL career and made an instant impact with the team’s AHL affiliate in 2019-20, leading the team in goals with 19.

In 2020-21 Hagel became a full-time NHLer, scoring at a decent clip, 24 points in 52 games. In August 2021, the Blackhawks made the prudent choice to sign Hagel to a three-year, $1.5MM AAV contract extension, a deal that paid immediate dividends.

Hagel’s scoring numbers in the NHL began to look quite a bit more like what one would expect from a former WHL star, and in 55 games with the team, he scored 21 goals and 37 points. Heading into a rebuild, the Blackhawks chose to cash in on Hagel’s breakout as well as the immense surplus value he provided on a $1.5MM AAV deal and traded him to the Lightning, a cap-strapped team specifically targeting players who could outperform their cap hit by multiple degrees of magnitude.

Hagel had a slow start in Tampa, scoring just seven points in 22 regular-season games and six points in the team’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. But this past season, Hagel’s first full campaign in Tampa, he showed exactly why the Lightning surrendered two first-round picks and two young players in order to acquire him. He scored 30 goals and 64 points in 81 games, delivering consistent offensive quality in a top-six role.

He averaged 18:38 time-on-ice per game, a career-high, which ranked him fourth among Lightning forwards. Beyond just delivering offensive consistency and top-line production, Hagel’s two-way game also took a step forward. He averaged just a shade under two minutes per game on Tampa’s penalty kill, and even got a fifth-place Selke Trophy vote for the NHL’s best defensive forward.

While this contract certainly carries some risk — Hagel has only been a true top-line forward in the NHL for one, maybe two sesons — it’s easy to see why Tampa has gambled on Hagel as a key party of their future. He’s been a healthy, productive, generally consistent all-around player who still has room to improve. The team isn’t buying any seasons in Hagel’s mid-to-late thirties with this deal, minimizing the room for this deal to age poorly in its later years.

While $6.5MM places Hagel in the financial company of players such as Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kreider, Sam Reinhardt, Claude Giroux, and William Nylander, forwards who have all reached higher offensive heights than Hagel, the cap hit should look more appropriate as the league’s upper limit rises in the near future.

Additionally, seeing as the Lightning likely believe Hagel still has room to grow offensively, there is always the possibility that Hagel makes this $6.5MM price tag look like a steal down the line. If he can get even more regular time on the powerplay next to stars like Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, Hagel could potentially score 40 goals or 70 points in the future. But even if that doesn’t come to pass, as the cap rises this $6.5MM cap hit is an eminently reasonable price to pay for the prime years of a player like Hagel.

Adding this contract extension to the extensions signed by other ascending Lightning players, such as Erik Cernak, Mikhail Sergachev, and Anthony Cirelli, it’s clear that Tampa Bay is working towards building a core group of players for the rest of the decade and beyond.

The team is intent on continuing to compete even as franchise icons such as Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman advance deeper into their thirties, and now with all of these extensions signed Tampa Bay has made sure that if those veterans ever get their names etched into the Stanley Cup for a third time, it will be alongside new core players, such as Hagel.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Jonathan Toews

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It wasn’t too many years ago that Jonathan Toews and his Chicago Blackhawks were at the top of the league’s pecking order, but it somehow also seems like the team’s rebuild has dragged on for too long with no end in sight. It’s an arduous process that’s called Toews’ (and Patrick Kane’s) future with the team into question, as the Blackhawks legends are just one year away from the expiration of their contracts and unrestricted free agency. Speaking with The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, Toews says he “really doesn’t know” what the future holds for him and said the idea of a lengthy rebuild “[didn’t] sound appealing.”

In his interview, Toews spoke frankly about Chicago’s moves since the turn of the calendar year, specifically referencing the team’s trades involving Brandon Hagel, Alex DeBrincat, and Kirby Dach. Calling it “unfortunate that it’s come to that,” Toews especially named Dach as a player he felt he had under his wing and had developed a good mentor relationship with.

On a more positive note for Toews and Blackhawks fans, he spoke highly of the team’s expected approach under new head coach Luke Richardson. If he isn’t approached about a trade prior to the season (he does still have a full no-movement clause), he said he’s “really excited” to play under Richardson and his hard-working approach.

Regardless, this is a significant crossroads for Toews and the Blackhawks organization. Considering his declining production and recent health issues, it could very well be that this is simply Toews’ last season playing in the NHL. Toews had just 37 points in 71 games last season, and even his half-retained cap hit of $5.25MM might be too hard to stomach for most interested teams. If Toews plans to either retire or sign elsewhere in free agency, Chicago risks ill-affordable poor asset management by not getting potential trade value in return for Toews.

With that said, it’s nearly impossible to predict when Toews’ trade value would be highest. Does Chicago bank on Toews having a rebound year, allowing them to get a higher return closer to the trade deadline, or do they trade him prior to the season in anticipation of declining value? It’s a delicate, tricky situation as all parties are concerned.

Evening Notes: Denisenko, Kadri, Cogliano, Kane, Peter MacTavish

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A somewhat mysterious injury for a top Florida Panthers prospect has been cleared up, with Grigori Denisenko confirmed to have suffered a broken kneecap back on January 12th while playing with the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers announced the injury today. The injury occurred in what would prove to be an incredible effort from the Russian winger, who broke his kneecap on a blocked shot, but continued to play, scoring the game winner. Denisenko would ultimately have surgery on his knee, but appears to be in good spirits and confident that he will be ready to go in time for Florida Panthers training camp.

Florida’s first-round pick in 2018, 15th overall, Denisenko’s development has not exactly been meteoric, however the team still has high hopes for him. Prior to being drafted, Denisenko was a standout for Yaroslavl in the KHL as a part of their development program and on Russia’s junior teams. After being selected by Florida, Denisenko made his KHL debut with Yaroslavl, though he didn’t take the steps forward Florida, and Yaroslavl, might have hoped, recording just 18 points in 63 games over two seasons. The forward made the jump to North America ahead of the 2020-21 season, but due to injuries and the COVID-19 situation, he was limited to just 45 AHL games and 8 NHL games over two seasons. In his limited time, Denisenko was solid, putting up 27 points in those 45 AHL games, and an impressive four assists in seven games in his NHL debut in 2020-21. Once healthy, if Denisenko hopes to have an impactful NHL career, he will have to continue to take steps forward in his production, especially if he wants to appear regularly in an incredibly deep Panthers lineup. The good news for Denisenko on that front is, with the flat salary cap and the Panthers being near the ceiling, they will need affordable pieces that they can rely on, and one of their top prospects may be a solution.

  • After being listed as day-to-day with speculation about when either could return, Colorado Avalanche forwards Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano are now officially listed as scratches for tonight’s Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals, confirms ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. Though not particularly surprising, being without either player is a tough blow for Colorado who is tasked with defeating the reigning two-time Cup Champions in the Tampa Bay Lightning, who appear to be icing their regular lineup, which includes for the first time since Game Seven of the first round, playoff standout Brayden Point. Brandon Hagel, who’s status for Game One was questionable and considered a game-time decision is in the lineup tonight, taking the place of Riley Nash.
  • Earlier this evening, when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly conducted their media availability ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals, they touched on a range of NHL news and important topics, including the status of Evander Kane’s contract dispute with the San Jose Sharks. Today’s update was, in essence, not to expect an update all too soon, as Daly disclosed that it is likely Kane’s arbitration will not be decided until after the NHL’s free agency opens on July 13th (link). The reason, Daly added, is that the arbitrator in the matter is not available to conduct the next hearing until next month. Still, as TSN’s Chris Johnston’s notes, this isn’t expected to inhibit his ability to sign a contract for the 2022-23 season, or beyond.
  • A few days ago, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Ottawa Senators could be looking to make some hires in their front office after letting go of executive Pierre McGuire less than a year after they hired him (link). Now, it seems a bit more clear why that is, as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Senators Assistant GM Peter MacTavish has departed the organization to join Quartexx Hockey, a full service agency with notable NHL clients such as Patrice Bergeron, Josh Anderson, Drake Batherson, Anthony Beauvillier, and more.

Snapshots: Backlund, Hagel, Draisaitl

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With the Flames facing a big summer of spending ahead of them with Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Andrew Mangiapane among those in need of new contracts, there’s an expectation that they will need to free up some money to keep the rest of the core intact.  To that end, Hailey Salvian of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that center Mikael Backlund could be a candidate to be moved this summer.  The 33-year-old has seen his production tail off slightly in recent years but he still put up 39 points in 82 regular season games before having a strong showing in the playoffs with eight points in a dozen contests.  Backlund has two years remaining at a $5.35MM AAV and with the center market not being particularly deep this summer, there could be some interest in him at some point as a fallback plan as long as they’re not on his partial no-trade list.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Although he has missed three straight practices, Lightning winger Brandon Hagel is expected to play in Wednesday’s Conference Final opener, relays NHL.com’s Corey Long. The 23-year-old has been battling a foot injury since blocking a shot back in the second game of the series against Florida although he has been able to play through it so far.  Hagel has been relatively quiet in the playoffs so far with just a goal and three assists in 11 games but he had 25 tallies between Chicago and Tampa Bay this season so as long as he’s able to keep playing through the injury, he’s an offensive threat in their bottom six.
  • Oilers center Leon Draisaitl participated in practice today for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury late in the first round, notes Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The injury didn’t slow the 26-year-old down (he had 17 points in five games against Calgary last round) but he hadn’t been taking part in practices in an effort to help the injury heal.  The fact he returned to the ice today has to be considered a positive sign for Edmonton as they get set to open their series against Colorado on Tuesday.

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