Hagel and Paul carving out effective roles in Tampa Bay's top-six

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been getting top-six production for several years from big names up front like Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Alex Killorn.
But a top six isn't complete with just four players, and the other members of this year's top two lines have played an instrumental role in Tampa Bay's success this season. Both acquired at last year's trade deadline, Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul have fit in seamlessly with the Bolts, providing value at both ends of the ice and living up to, if not exceeding, expectations set for them heading into the season.

Over the course of the entire week leading up to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, over 80 players were involved in trades across the league. Looking back through all the players moved that week, only three of them have recorded more than 30 points with the team that acquired them that week. Two of those players are Bolts.
Since being acquired by Tampa Bay, Hagel has posted 33 points (16G, 17A) in 52 games, while Paul has recorded 35 points (18G, 17A) in 51 contests. The third player is Rickard Rakell, who was acquired by Pittsburgh and has since posted 34 points (17G, 17A) in 50 games with the Penguins.
Hagel has one year left on his contract following the 2022-23 season before he becomes a restricted free agent. He's currently counting for $1.5M against the salary cap. Paul signed a seven-year contract extension with Tampa Bay this offseason and will count for $3.15M against the cap in each of the next seven seasons.
In total, both players have combined for 47 points this season with 25 goals and 22 assists, all while counting for just 5.6% of the salary cap. Yes, really, only 5.6%.
Hagel is skating on the top line alongside Point and Kucherov and ranks fifth among all Lightning skaters with 26 points (12G, 14A) this season. His 12 goals are tied with Kucherov for the fourth-most on the team, but his impact has gone well beyond just the numbers.
Hagel has been a hound on the puck all year long, making breakouts a nightmare for opposing defenders and consistently hustling to the defensive zone on the backcheck. He leads all NHL forwards this season with 42 takeaways and has scored Tampa Bay's only shorthanded goal this season, while generating a ton of chances along the way with his team down a man.
Since the NHL began tracking takeaways in 2005, only five forwards have ever recorded more takeaways in their first 30 games of a season than Hagel's 42 this year. Pavel Datsyuk has the record of 51 takeaways, making him the only forward with 50-plus takeaways through the first 30 games of a season.
"He does a lot," said Lightning assistant coach Rob Zettler. "We saw that last year. He's like a dog on a bone. He hounds pucks. He's really tenacious that way.
"This year, he kept that part of his game, and now he's added the playmaking ability to be able to play with those guys and get them the puck. At the end of the day, you want to get Kuch the puck. You want to get Pointer the puck.
"But at the same time, when the puck's been on his stick, he's made a lot of great plays and been able to finish a lot. He's been a great compliment to those guys."
The acquisition of Hagel was one of the bigger trades of last year's deadline. The Lightning received Hagel, a 2022 fourth-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 first-round pick, both of which are top-10 protected.
Following the trade, some of the hockey world questioned the price for the young, 23-year-old winger. Looking back now, the acquisition of Hagel was instrumental in Tampa Bay's run to a third-straight Stanley Cup Final last season.
Now, he's a key cog in one of the NHL's best lines this season. Not only is he producing close to a point per game, but his ability to force turnovers on the forecheck and consequently generate offense is nearly unmatched across the league.
"We've probably been looked at for kind of the price we've given up for some players, but Brandon Hagel's a top-line player for us with multiple years on his contract," said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. "You have to pay for those. That's going to cost you two first-round picks, but he's also been a big part of us going to the Final and a big part of why we're in a playoff spot right now.
"I just think our GM's done a heck of a job of us, as a group, identifying what we need, and then him going out and finding it and then not being afraid to pay the price for it."
The top line has been a threat in nearly every game this season for the Bolts. Together, the trio has combined for 40 goals and 64 assists for 104 points through just 30 games this season. Per Natural Stat Trick, Tampa Bay's top line has produced 59.02% of the scoring chances that occur when on the ice together at 5-on-5. Additionally, they've generated 58.49% of the high-danger scoring chances.
"He's got tons of speed, lots of skill," said Point when asked about Hagel. "He's really good at keeping pucks alive, whether it's on the cycle or stealing pucks off the forecheck or backcheck. It's really important to have a guy like that who can get the puck back for our line.
"He creates stuff off the rush with his speed and, again, through his forechecking and the backchecking. He makes the game a lot easier because you know if you get beat that he's got the ability to kind of cover for you with his speed."
Point and Kucherov have played together a lot over the past few years and much of that time was spent with Ondrej Palat on the left wing. Now, it's Hagel's spot, and he's filled it with flying colors.
"He has the same attitude Palat has," Cooper said. "Those are the guys that never give up. They're maybe not the biggest guys in the league, but they've got the biggest hearts. They never give up on plays and they're gritty.
"Kuch and Point are gritty too, just at times in different ways. [They're] all big-time competitors. Hages does a lot of that dirty work and gets those guys the puck, but he's got skill to back it up. It's been a great fit."
While the top line has been buzzing up and down the ice and making some unbelievable, quick passing plays while moving with a ton of pace, the line of Stamkos, Paul and Killorn have created offense with sustained zone time, tons of puck possession, and mid-game adjustments, when necessary.
Like Hagel, Paul has been a huge piece of his line's success. He's scored seven goals over his last 12 games and has posted 21 points this season with 13 goals and eight assists. His 13 goals rank third among all Bolts skaters and his three game-winning goals are tied for the second-most on the team. His plus-14 rating is pacing all Tampa Bay skaters.
Before being acquired by the Lightning last season, Paul skated in 59 games with the Ottawa Senators and posted 18 points with 11 goals and seven assists. Through just 30 games this season, he's already surpassed those goal, assist and point numbers.
Again, similar to Hagel, Paul's impact goes beyond the numbers he's putting up. His 24 blocked shots are tied for the second-most among all Lightning forwards and his 54 hits rank third. His 27 takeaways are tied with Point for the second-most on the team and his 188 faceoff wins pace all Tampa Bay skaters. Only Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Killorn are averaging more ice time on the penalty kill than Paul.
"Nick Paul's been outstanding for us," said Cooper. "He's a player that I really didn't know a ton about, especially when you go through a COVID year where you don't even really see Ottawa play.
"He came here, and he was kind of just what the doctor ordered. He could play multiple positions. He could kill penalties for us. He's just a solid player that can play in so many different situations.
"He's got size. He's got length. He's got range. He's got a better skill set than I thought he had when he came.
"Probably more importantly, he's great in the room. He just brings energy in every room that he walks into. It was a great fit for us. He's a great kid and he's been a heck of a hockey player for us."
Like Cooper, Stamkos didn't know much about Paul when he was acquired from Ottawa last season. But now, he's having a blast skating on a line with the big forward who has skill along with smarts on the ice.
"I didn't know much about him at all, to be honest," Stamkos said. "I know he probably was on a team that wasn't at the level that we're at quite yet and that makes a difference with opportunity, linemates and things like that.
"He's just been a really pleasant surprise, I think for everyone, to see the game that he has. He's a confident player and you can see that starting to come out on the ice. He's willing to make plays. He's obviously a big guy. He's very smart defensively. His shot is really good too.
"He's got that long reach too, which I think kind of fools goalies sometimes. He's got 13 goals this year. It's been great.
"You need that production up and down the lineup, especially come playoff time. We saw that last year and his ability to score some big goals for us, so it's been great."
After signing a seven-year deal, it would have been easy for Paul to take a breath, relax and maybe feel a sense of complacency. But he's been the exact opposite. The only active player in the NHL to play over 200 AHL games and go on to sign a contract of seven or more years, Paul doesn't take a single day for granted.
"The motivation for me is just to prove myself," Paul said. "These last couple years I've been in the NHL, I thought I could be a lot better, so for me, it's just showing that I'm a great player.
"Tampa put that trust in me and believed in me. Now, it's just win. Obviously, doing good for yourself is nice, but now the end goal is Stanley Cups. This team has been an unbelievable team with what they've done in the past and I just want to add to that and help every way I can for the team to be successful moving forward."
Paul has certainly added to the team in a multitude of ways and, right now, his line has been playing a huge role in Tampa Bay's success.
Responsible on both ends of the rink, you rarely see Paul's line turn the puck over and give up an odd-man rush. There's almost always a third forward hanging out higher in the offensive zone in case of a rush the other way. The ability to cycle the puck, communicate and find open ice has resulted in a collective total of 37 goals and 42 assists for 79 points with a combined plus-29 rating.
"Stammer and Killer have been in the league a long time and they've had a lot of success," said Paul. "They kind of know what works in the O-zone, what spots gives you more space. They know where to get open and when you get that puck, it's not like there's someone on you.
"Working with them and our ability to tweak things as we go along has been huge. Whether it's on the iPad, whether it's in practice, whether we're just sitting on the bench like, 'Hey, when you get that puck on the first touch, just go behind the net. I'll be there and then look for the guy in the slot.'
"It's just little things like that. We just communicate and talk about where we're going to be. It helps read plays when you're in the zone and you kind of just know where everyone is going to be instead of having to look.
"We don't really get frustrated. There aren't any egos on that line. If someone messes up, we'll grab the iPad, let each other know where we need to be, and nobody takes any offense to it. That's how you get better. It's been really good."
Stamkos has enjoyed his time with his current linemates as well. His 16 goals are tied with Point for the team lead and his 36 points trail only Kucherov's 47. For the captain, his line's responsibility defensively has been big in translating to offense.
"I think, obviously, we've all been around the league for a long time," said Stamkos. "For us, we just try to play well in our own end and that kind of leads to, hopefully, some offense. I think Paulie and Killer are both really responsible players, and it's helped my defensive game.
"They're both big guys that control the puck down low, so I just try to get into space where I think the puck's going to be, or I want them to put the puck, and try to just create some time and space to make some plays.
"Both of those guys have great shots as well. We've seen that this year and we're just trying to continue to get better. It's still a work in progress and it's really just about playing well defensively, but also trying to create that offense that's expected when you're playing in a top-six role. I think we'll just continue to get better at that."
From Opening Night to the beginning of December, all Lightning forwards had combined for 68 goals. Of those 68 goals, the top six of Hagel, Point, Kucherov, Stamkos, Paul and Killorn had scored 58 of them. Through the first 23 games of the season, those six players were accounting for 85.3% of Tampa Bay's goals scored by forwards.
Since the return of Anthony Cirelli to the lineup, the bottom six has really started to produce. Cirelli could be a top-six center on any team across the NHL, but with the top six producing at such a high rate for the Bolts, the team now has the luxury of using Cirelli on the third line, and that has resulted in a big uptick in production from the bottom six.
None of that would be possible without Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois going out and acquiring Hagel and Paul. Described by Mikhail Sergachev as a "wizard" this offseason, BriseBois has continuously given Tampa Bay a chance to make runs at the Stanley Cup and a big part of that has been acquiring players that become part of the long-term plan, not just rentals.
"Julien's done a great job of going and acquiring players that he knows can help our team right away, but also, players that he sees as a fit down the road," Stamkos explained. "Maybe with the exception of Savard, where we traded for a player strictly as a rental, he brought in guys like Coleman and Goodrow, both players with term remaining. We brought in Hages. We got Paulie re-signed.
"I think when he goes out there, he's able to find guys that not only fill the need immediately, but are worth giving up the assets that we've given up because he knows they're either on a team-friendly deal for a year or two, and that helps, or the fit's there where he can see a possible extension happening.
"There's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes and I think that's where he maybe differs from other GMs where they're giving up high assets for purely rentals and he's found a way to make giving up those assets well worth it."
BriseBois has made several key acquisitions over the years that have helped Tampa Bay continue to have sustained success. But beyond the act of acquiring the player, there has to be an environment where a player can come in and feel comfortable, making the transition to a new team on the ice that much easier. Cooper and the leadership group of the Lightning have done great in that regard, while also making sure new additions to the team understand the standard that's been set with the Bolts.
"Julien's been huge because not only have we brought in quality players, but we've gotten younger," said Zettler. "Hagel being young and Paul being young. Obviously, Paul's locked up for a long time and Hagel's good for a couple years.
"Credit to those guys. They've come in and worked. I think they were fired up to be here, considering what we were able to do in the past.
"But Coop has done a good job and our older players have done an unbelievable job of creating a culture here that when somebody walks into that dressing room, there's an expectation.
"Those guys have met it. They haven't fallen short with either their work ethic or their character."
Paul is locked down for seven seasons and after he signed his deal, he revealed that he really wasn't interested in signing anywhere else. The Lightning have Hagel on his current contract for the next two seasons before he becomes a restricted free agent. But for a guy from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, who is currently enjoying his first winter in Florida, don't be surprised if BriseBois and the front office find a way to keep him in Bolts blue beyond 2023-24.
One selling point for the Lightning - today, it's -20 degrees Fahrenheit in Saskatoon. It's 71 in Tampa.
"Leaving the rink, obviously you're going to have ups and downs throughout the year," Hagel said. "When you're leaving the rink and you see pure sunshine, you can't really have too much of a bad day."
The sunshine is great, but with the way both Hagel and Paul's lines have been playing lately, I'm not sure if either of them have left the rink feeling down too many times this season.
(Credit: Salary cap numbers used in this story were acquired from Capfriendly.com, while advanced statistics were acquired from Naturalstattrick.com.)