After 11 seasons in the NHL, Carl Hagelin announced his retirement due to a serious eye injury he suffered as a member of the Washington Capitals during the 2021-22 season. The Swedish winger spent his first four seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers and developed into an important player for them. He deserves respect for his rise from a late-round draft pick to a valuable defensive forward and two-time Stanley Cup winner.
Hagelin’s Rise With the Rangers
The Rangers drafted Hagelin in the sixth round of the 2007 NHL Draft. After playing in Sweden, the winger decided to play college hockey at the University of Michigan of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). He finished with 19 goals and 31 assists in 45 games during the 2009-10 season, and had 18 goals and 31 assists in 44 games during the 2010-11 season. He was also the team’s captain.
Hagelin began the 2011-12 season with the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL) but he quickly earned an opportunity with the Rangers. He immediately made a difference and recorded a point in each of his first four games and helped the team win all four games. He scored his first NHL goal in his second career game by batting in a rebound against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 26.
Though Hagelin did contribute offensively, finishing with 14 goals and 24 assists in 64 games, his elite speed and excellent defensive play made him irreplaceable in the lineup. He was a very reliable penalty killer, who also used his speed to create shorthanded scoring chances.
Hagelin consistently gave the Rangers production even though he spent the majority of his time with them as a bottom-six forward. He had 10 goals and 14 assists in 48 games in 2012-13, 17 goals and 16 assists in 72 games in 2013-14, and 17 goals and 18 assists in 82 games during 2014-15.
Additionally, Hagelin also helped the Rangers make the playoffs in all four of his seasons in New York. In 2014, he came up clutch in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadians. He opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal, then in overtime, he made a cross-ice pass to set up Martin St. Louis’ game-winning goal. He finished that postseason with seven goals and five assists in 25 games.
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Hagelin scored a series-clinching overtime goal in Game 5 of the team’s first-round matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015. Combined in his four postseasons with the Rangers, he had 12 goals and 14 assists in 73 games.
Hagelin’s Play After Rangers Trade
Following the 2014-15 season, the Rangers traded Hagelin to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Emerson Etem and a second-round pick which they used to select Ryan Gropp. The trade came back to haunt the Blueshirts, as the Ducks traded the speedy winger to the Penguins later that season.
Hagelin thrived with the Penguins and helped them eliminate the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs in 2016. In addition to excellent defensive play, he also produced offensively and finished the postseason with six goals and 10 assists in 24 games, helping his new team win the Stanley Cup.
The following postseason, Hagelin did not produce as much offensively but his strong penalty-killing and defensive play helped the Penguins as they won the Cup for the second consecutive year. This time, he finished with two goals in 15 games.
Hagelin briefly played for the Los Angeles Kings in 2018-19 but he was traded to the Capitals during the season. Though he did not score as much as he did earlier in his career, he was still a valuable bottom-six forward and helped his new team make the postseason in his first three seasons with them.
Looking Back at Hagelin’s Career
Though Hagelin was a late-round pick, he worked his way up to the NHL and simply played too well to ever get sent back down to the AHL. Before an eye injury prematurely ended his 2021-22 season, the Swedish winger made the playoffs in all 10 of his NHL seasons. He was never a flashy player but he always made smart plays with the puck, blocked shots, and used his speed to create scoring opportunities. He consistently made winning plays and he certainly deserves appreciation for an impressive career, now that he is retiring.
