Who To Keep? Mats Zuccarello or Carl Hagelin?

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Come the trade deadline, the New York Rangers will have a very tough decision to make. The decision is what to do with impending restricted free agent, Carl Hagelin, and unrestricted free agent, Mats Zuccarello. The two have been great players for the Rangers throughout their young careers and both were vital to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final run, but GM Glen Sather will have to make a choice between one of the two forwards.

To start the debate we begin with Carl Hagelin. The super Swede has had a good career with the Rangers. In 220 career games, Hagelin has 111 points with 49 goals and 62 assists. His best season was 2013-2014, when Hagelin had 33 points on 17 goals and 16 assists. Carl Hagelin is recognized for his ability to kill penalties on the penalty kill. Hagelin has been paired with Dominic Moore when he is not in the sin bin. Hagelin has had an average Corsi rating of 53.8% and an average Fenwick of 54.4%. He also has had 98 takeaways in his 3+ seasons in the Big Apple. Hagelin’s speed and ability are both undeniable. The Rangers also drafted him, which could help keep him in a Blueshirt but Hagelin is only a third line player and he is not a big, strong player which the Rangers need. If the Rangers are to trade Hagelin, possible in house replacements are Anthony Duclair (in May after the OJMHL season ends),

Ryan Bourque, Danny Kristo, Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg, or Ryan Haggerty, all of whom can possibly take the place of Hags. Hagelin can be used to bring a big package to New York, but the Rangers will also have to decide if they want to trade another speedster, Mats Zuccarello.

The 5’7″ 179 pound gritty forward, who Rangers fans love like a little brother, is Mats Zuccarello. Zuc, as the blue seat fans call him, recently signed a 1 year, $3,500,000 contract in the summer to remain with the team. Since he left the Rangers in 2010 to return home to Norway and then came back to the Rangers, Zuccarello might be gone for good this time around. Zuccarello might ask for a big time contract, as the Rangers and the rest of the league has taken notice of the consistent performance from the Norwegian. In his 4+ seasons on 7th Avenue, Zuc has played in 178 career games and has totaled 36 goals with 77 assists for a combined total of 113 points. Just like Hagelin and the rest of the Rangers, Zuccarello’s best season came last year when he played in 77 games with 19 goals and 40 assists for 59 points. Zuccarello may ask for a large contract and the Rangers might be unwilling to give out that contract.

The Great Debate: Who to Keep? Mats Zuccarello or Carl Hagelin?

By Warren Tobin | Jan 6, 2015