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New York Rangers Need To Keep Carl Hagelin (Video)

By Steven Carollo

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New York Rangers speedy winger, Carl Hagelin, is showing once again this postseason why the Rangers need to resign the impending RFA, long-term this summer.

New York Rangers
New York Rangers /

New York Rangers

New York Rangers‘ forward, Carl Hagelin, may not be one of the best players in the NHL and on the Rangers, but his impact on this Rangers’ team is something GM Glen Sather cannot let go this summer.

Now I will admit, at first I felt if Hagelin could be traded at the trade deadline that Sather should jump at the chance, however, I regret ever thinking that and I am glad Sather did not include Hagelin in the blockbuster trade to acquire defenseman, Keith Yandle, from the Arizona Coyotes at the trade deadline.

Hagelin may not be anything special in the regular season, but come playoff time, he is clutch.  Perfect example is his game winning, series clinching, goal in overtime in Game 5 of the 1st round of the playoffs vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, which you can see again by clicking on the video below.

When looking at Hagelin’s regular season and postseason stats over the past couple of years, one could conclude that Hagelin definitely ups his game when it matters the most.

Last season, Hagelin played in 72 regular season games, where he recorded 17 goals and 16 assists, totaling 33 points.  In the playoffs last season, Hagelin played in 25 games, where he recorded 7 goals and 5 assists, totaling 12 points.  So in 47 less games in the playoffs, Hagelin had only 10 less goals and 11 less assists than he did in that regular season.

This season, Hagelin played in all 82 regular season games, where he recorded 17 goals and 18 assists, totaling 35 points.  In playoffs this season, thus far, Hagelin has played in 5 games, where he recorded 2 goals and 1 assist, with one of the goals being the 1st round series clinching goal in overtime.

Not only do these stats show that Hagelin ups his game in the postseason, but let us not forget that he is one of the fastest guys on the Rangers, and in the entire NHL, with speed only rivaled by his teammate, Chris Kreider.

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With Hagelin making $2.4 million on his current contract that will expire this summer, Sather should not only resign him but give him a long term contract, similar to
Mats Zuccarello‘s.  Only since Hagelin is a restricted free agent, unlike Zuccarello who would have been an unrestricted free agent, Sather can play some hard ball and get Hagelin to lower his asking price and hopefully the two sides can come to an agreement in the $3.5-4 million range per year for 4 seasons.

Next: Martin St. Louis Must Step Up For New York Rangers In Round Two

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