The Leafs beat Tampa Bay tonight, and it was a bit of a wild affair with sloppy play by both teams allowing some excellent scoring chances and some big hits. Garnett Exelby's low (but not dirty) hit on Steve Downie early on was a treat to see.
Nikolai Kulemin and Matt Stajan both scored, while Niklas Hagman had two goals. His play tonight and over the course of the season has raised a question - what does Brian Burke do with him?
Hagman has 2 more years after this season left on a contract that pays him $3,000,000. That is a very good price for a player who can score and be used in all situations including the penalty kill. Hagman's 11 goals so far leads the Toronto Maple Leafs and he is always working hard on the forecheck. When you add everything together, Nik Hagman is a very attractive forward.
So, what does Brian Burke do with him? The Leafs are not out of the playoff race yet and a hot streak could come at any time, but the odds are that they will be on the outside looking in come playoff time. With his reasonable contract and his abilities, Nik Hagman could bring the Leafs a good prospect and a pick in trade. However, if Burke thinks this team will be able to bounce back and compete next season, then holding onto a player who can produce on the second line would be a good idea.
Personally, I like Hagman. There are some players who seem unwilling to battle for the puck and play a hard-nosed game. Hagman battles. He pushes and shoves more then he dekes before finishing a play, but he also has the hands to score some beautiful goals. He is not a Phil Kessel or a Alex Ovechkin, but he is a capable and reliable player who will be an important part of this team this season and next. I would keep Hagman with the Leafs.
What do you think? Do you think Hagman should stay, or do you think he should be moved for picks and/or prospects?
EDIT - Here is another beauty by Hagman.
I agree. Definitely you want to keep Hagman. At 3 million there aren't a lot of wingers who I like as much as him. Compare him to a free agent like Alex Tanguay (2.5 million) for example who all sorts of Leaf fans wanted in this year who has a similiar number of points, but only 4 goals to go with 11 assists. On the other side Hagman has 11 goals and 4 assists... so if I had to choose I would take Hagman!
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty obvious to me- he's like any other important asset we have. Since he is being paid the right amount, is making great contributions and we need his skills, he doesn't get traded unless we get very high value back for him. To hell with the Leafs doing favours for other teams like Calgary and Tampa- it's time the tide turned the other way.
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