Brandon Hagel shoots straight — and not just on the ice.
The Chicago Blackhawks forward could’ve brushed off trade rumors or pretended he hasn’t noticed them, but when asked after practice Tuesday at Fifth Third Arena, he admitted: “It’s been going on for a little bit. My name’s been popping up.
“It’s a business. I can’t change what happens, I can’t change what people are going to offer. I can’t do anything about it, so it’s one of those things where I just keep playing.
“If it happens, it happens; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I love Chicago. I want to be here for a really long time. I’ve enjoyed it here.”
Hagel’s agent, Allain Roy, said that based on his conversations with interim Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson, a wide range of teams has inquired about Hagel.
“I do know teams have reached out to Kyle because Kyle has told me teams have reached out,” Roy told the Tribune. “But I’m not surprised by that because everybody’s going to kick tires on a bunch of players, and he’s a young (23), high-valued player.
“It’s not just teams making playoff runs. You’ve got teams who are looking for that certain age group, that 22-to-26 age group. If a player is starting to pop, many teams will have interest in that, whether you’re rebuilding or whether you’re trying to win a (Stanley) Cup. He kind of fits both sides because of his age, No. 1, and No. 2 his cap number is not super high because he didn’t have (arbitration) rights this season or next season.
“So he’s attractive for a team like Toronto or the Rangers who’s right up against (the cap). But he’s also attractive for a team that’s trying to rebuild because of his age and how he’s playing.”
The Maple Leafs and Rangers are among a number of suitors that have been floated in reports, and some of the rumored offers are real eye-openers — such as a first-round pick and a prospect.
“I’ve seen those, too, but I can’t tell you whether those are true or not. These days, the trade deadline with social media, it’s pure hell for everybody,” Roy said with a laugh. “It’s very hard to decipher the truth from the rumors.”
Whether or not those offers have legs, Hagel said: “Seeing what they want for me, you’ve got to take it as a compliment, no? Come on, I was a sixth-rounder, brought in as a 20-year-old, just this kid who came and played. And they want that? I’ll take that any day.”
But would the Hawks take that? Roy has doubts.
“I think the team is going to do their job,” he said, “but he’s an important piece there in Chicago, so I don’t see an offer making any headway with the team unless it’s a hell of an offer.”
When interim Hawks coach Derek King was asked about the idea of trading Hagel, he almost fumbled to get the words out.
“He better not be. Hags has got to stay here,” King said. “You can’t. I mean, that’s me.”
He walked it back somewhat, perhaps remembering he can’t speak for the front office.
“You’ve got to do what’s right for the organization and what’s right for the team, but Hagel is a big part of this organization,” King said. “He’s a good hockey player that you want to keep on your team, and I could see other teams would want a player like that.”
King said he hasn’t had to have a conversation with Hagel about trade talk — it doesn’t seem to faze him.
“There might be some other guys over the years that you’d probably have to pull aside and say, ‘It’s OK, don’t worry about it,’ but he’s pretty humble and mentally it doesn’t bug him,” King said.
Roy agreed.
“I’ve been doing this for 22 years — some guys drive me crazy during trade deadline,” he said. “They’re texting and calling: ‘What have you heard? What have you heard? Is this true? Is that true?’ (Hagel) has been very low-key about it. He has been very calm and he knows a lot of it is out of his control.”
Complicating matters is the fact the Hawks are in the midst of a general manager search, though Davidson is one of the candidates.
“As much as the trade deadline is an uncertain time, it’s even more uncertain with the Chicago Blackhawks because you’re not really sure who you’re dealing with in two or three weeks,” Roy said.
Whether the Hawks keep Hagel or fetch a lucrative return, it’s a feather in the team’s cap that it discovered him.
The Buffalo Sabres drafted Hagel in the sixth round in 2016, but it eventually became clear he didn’t have a future there.
“I’m not going to fault Buffalo for not signing him,” Roy said. “(When) Buffalo drafted him, he was a very skinny kid but still played the same way (he does now) in junior. But for some reason the management that was in Buffalo at that time didn’t project him to be an NHL player, which is why they didn’t sign him.”
Roy credited former Hawks GM Stan Bowman for digging deeper on Hagel and traveling to see him play for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels.
“One issue (for Bowman) was he had to get stronger and bigger, which he took care of” in the offseason, Roy said. “And then he wanted to see him go to the American league and play the same way he played in junior, which was great puck pursuit, still make plays, good hockey sense but be a guy that could fit into your third line as well as he could play on your first line some nights. And he did that.”
Hagel signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Hawks in October 2018, continued to play in Red Deer, then finished his spring with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL.
Hagel played one game for the Hawks in 2019-20 before the pandemic pause, then played 52 games with nine goals and 15 assists in the abbreviated 2020-21 season. In August he signed a three-year, $4.5 million deal to stay in Chicago.
That $1.5 million annual salary-cap hit, which carries through the 2023-24 season, is just one reason teams are enticed.
“His hockey smarts are super high. He reads the play as well as any guy on that team, and that’s why everybody likes playing with him,” Roy said. “He reads off his teammates but he also anticipates very well, and that makes him very dangerous.”
In recent games, Hagel typically has played a top-six role opposite Patrick Kane or Alex DeBrincat.
“You watch him on the ice and he knows where he’s going all the time,” Roy said. “And you can’t say that about a lot of players in the NHL. Some guys react to the play. He reads the play before it happens.”
Hagel won’t be able to cash in on his burgeoning reputation until he’s eligible to sign an extension in the summer of 2023.
“All this talk about Brandon tells us that he’s a valuable player and that he’s wanted around the league, so it does give us a lot more leverage that way too,” Roy said.
Whether that will be in negotiations with the Hawks or a new team is the question.
