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Ice Hockey

Brandon Hagel Signs $52 Millions Extension with Tampa Bay Lightning

Brandon Hagel finally found his footing in the NHL after joining the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he’s planning to stick around. Hagel signed an eight-year extension with his current team, worth a whopping $52 million. Hagel is currently in the final year of a contract with the Lightning, and he was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. His current contract comes with an annual value of $1.5 million, but his salary will significantly rise after he signed his extension, which carries an average annual value of $6.5 million. Hagel reflected on his humble beginnings after signing his extension with Tampa Bay and looked back at the time when he was a 20-year-old junior without a contract, uncertain if he’d ever make it to the NHL. "Five years later, I'm signing a deal that's going to change my life, and I get to call a place home. It feels nice. It feels like I got to a point where I proved a lot of people wrong, people that didn't believe in me. Now I've got this, and I'm happy," said Hagel. Hagel is coming off his career-best year, after setting his personal bests in goals (30), assists (34), games played (81), and average time on ice (18:39).