He was one of the most sought after deadline day targets leading up to the NHL's trade deadline and Leaf fans were hoping Dubas would pull the trigger. Thankfully, Dubas opted for a veteran defenseman and steady third/fourth liner in Giordano and Blackwell instead. The price was high on Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Hagel - too high in fact for Dubas to even consider and, at this point, it looks like Dubas dodged a bullet.
We've all heard the story by now. You know, the one that was leaked by someone in the Blackhawks' management group. The Blackhawks had offered up Marc-Andre Fleury along with Hagel to the Leafs in exchange for Petr Mrazek, Matthew Knies and "1st round picks". Obviously, Kyle Dubas declined that deal in a hurry, and he was FURIOUS with Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson over the trade offer having hit the headlines.
Since being acquired by the Lightning, Hagel has 3 points in 15 games played. That's as many points as Giordano had last night in Ottawa alone. Of course though, because it's not the Leafs, the media hasn't made a peep about it. Sure he's signed for another 2 years at a cap friendly deal, but had Dubas sacrificed 2 first round picks for him, he would not have heard the end of it. Perhaps people are waiting to see how Hagel performs in the postseason before analyzing the deal. That's fair. But we all know that if Hagel was a Leaf right now, with 3 points in 15 games, the pitchforks would be out.
For everyone that laughs at Dubas and says that he has destroyed this team's prospect pool the past couple years, remember this one. He kept Matthew Knies, he kept his next two first round picks and he addressed the needs that he had by bringing in Gio and Blackwell. So for those that may not like Dubas, you have to give him credit. He said he wouldn't deal his first round picks and he held firm on that. So far, it looks like it was the right thing to do.
