For a lot of Blackhawks fans, the deal that sent Brandon Hagel to the Lightning for two first-round picks and forwards Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh was a painful reminder of how far the franchise has to go before competing again at the top of the league.
For Raddysh, it’s a fresh start.
“I’m excited,” Raddysh said before Sunday’s game against the Jets. “Tampa was kind of a tough situation with how good of a team they had and they had a lot of guys that I was behind and kind of lower on the minutes and in and out of the lineup. I’m excited to be here and to get a good opportunity to play and show myself and be able to prove myself out there.”
A Lightning second-round pick in the 2016 draft, Raddysh made his NHL debut earlier this season for Tampa Bay. But because of the Lightning’s deep roster, Raddysh struggled to make an impact, appearing in 53 games and scoring five goals while adding seven assists.
To put it mildly, the Hawks don’t have the same level of talent, which means Raddysh has a genuine opportunity to seize a prominent role for his new team.
“If I can fit in wherever I fit in, just to be able to get more minutes that’s obviously an exciting part,” Raddysh said. “You get to play more, more things happen, you get more confidence and you start playing better. That’s kind of my main reason I’m very excited to be here to get a full opportunity to play.”
The Hawks organization isn’t completely unfamiliar to Raddysh.
His brother Darren Raddysh spent two seasons with the AHL IceHogs and Taylor Raddysh was a teammate of Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome with the OHL Erie Otters. Raddysh also scored a goal in the Lightning’s March 6 6-3 win over the Hawks in Chicago.
An emotional moment
Interim Hawks coach Derek King said Hagel “looked shocked” and was “getting a “little choked up” when they discussed the blockbuster trade.
“I’ve got a little bit of history with him, obviously, coaching him down in the American League (with Rockford),” King said. “I just said, ‘Hey, you’ve done a great job. You’ve grown into a good hockey player and you’re going to continue to grow, and hopefully I’m still around the league to watch you do that.’ Just wished him good luck.”
Unless something truly surprising happens, Hagel won’t be the last Hawks player to depart before Monday’s trade deadline. But even if more key contributors are sent away, the Hawks will still have to finish the season in a professional manner.
King said he hasn’t heard any rumblings about players losing buy-in to what they have to do.
“We’ll see as this week goes on. … I’ll address them about it (after the deadline),” King said. “We have a job to do. The Wirtz family, the Chicago Blackhawks, the fans – I mean we owe them. This is what we’re here to do. We’re here to play hockey and play it to the best of our ability. I’m gonna make sure they know about that after Monday for sure.”
Briefly
Rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic remained in the lineup. Forward Henrik Borgstrom and defenseman Erik Gustafsson were scratched.