Washington Capitals: Early 2019 predictions for Carl Hagelin

One of the Washington Capitals biggest signings in 2019 was Carl Hagelin.

The Washington Capitals acquired the former nemesis from the Los Angles Kings prior to the trade deadline and he fared well as a member of the good guys to earn a four-year extension. Now back for his first full season in the nation’s capital, Carl Hagelin looks to anchor a bottom-six forward attack.

Hagelin is expected to return to a role in the bottom six left wing next to veteran center Lars Eller and right wing newcomer Richard Panik, the HElP line. While he isn’t an offensive threat, Hagelin can score and create plays in the clutch and has a defensive game that the Capitals desperately needed before his arrival.

With exception to his performance in Washington after the trade, Hagelin had a down season. Part of it was injury. Another part was moving around the league after the Pittsburgh Penguins traded him to the Kings that November.

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Hagelin’s five goals is a career-low but three of those goals came in 20 Capitals games while adding eight assists while averaging 14:56 minutes of ice time. Hagelin moved around the third and fourth lines of the bottom-six for much of the homestretch and the first round of the playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes.

After the T.J. Oshie injury, Hagelin was on the second line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana. It was a line that was supposed to look good on paper however the other two struggled and Hagelin couldn’t get on the scoresheet himself.

The Capitals knew they had an upgrade on the defense and they chose to go that defensive rout by choosing to bring back Hagelin over guys like Andre Burakovsky and Brett Connolly. The Capitals signed him to a four-year deal worth $11-million, a $2.75 million AAV.

Don’t expect to see Hagelin score 20 goals this season but I could see him get in the 10-15 range if the HElP line does click. It’ll all depend on how Richard Panik adjusts. Hagelin will also improve a penalty kill that finished 24th in the NHL last season after being in the middle of the pack at 15th during their Stanley Cup run.

Hagelin will bring experience, confidence and swagger to a Capitals team embarking on their most important season to date, a possible last great shot at glory with the full core and now a former Penguin and New York has joined them in that chase.