By the time Hagelin returned to the Los Angeles lineup in early January, the Kings' playoff hopes had evaporated, and they were shopping the left winger around to interested parties. That's where the Caps entered the picture.
Hagelin came to Washington in a Feb. 21 trade with L.A., and he made his debut in a Caps sweater two days later when they finished a marathon six-game road trip with a Saturday matinee match against the Sabres in Buffalo.
Hagelin played well for the Caps over the next two months, putting up terrific possession numbers while producing better than half a point per game in 20 contests, the virtual equivalent of a quarter of a season. He managed more goals (three) and points (11) in those 20 games than the two goals and eight points he totaled in 38 games earlier in the season, a stint that was split between Pittsburgh and the Kings.
On Sunday, less than two months after the Caps' 2018-19 season came to an end, Hagelin signed a four-year contract extension to stay in the District. The 30-year-old Swedish left wing will earn $11 million over the life of that extension, a salary cap dent of $2.75 million per season.
"I think I've done a lot of good things in my career," says Hagelin. "I've been able to make the playoffs every single year. This was a year where I started in [Pittsburgh] and felt pretty good early on, and then I got traded. They wanted to make a change, and L.A. wanted to make a change as well. I got there and got hurt after five games, and all of a sudden that team is out of the playoffs.