Catching up with former Blackhawks DeBrincat, Hagel and more

When general manager Kyle Davidson stripped the Blackhawks down to the studs last July, he saw plenty of talent walk out the door.

Most of those players are thriving in their new homes, but what's interesting is that only Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay) and Calvin de Haan (Carolina) are on surefire playoff teams.

Washington (which has Dylan Strome and Erik Gustafsson), Detroit (Dominik Kubalilk) and Ottawa (Alex DeBrincat) need to pick up the pace to qualify for the postseason.

Then there's last-place Montreal, which acquired Kirby Dach.

The Hawks would obviously be a whole lot better had they retained most of this group, but Davidson opted for an all-out rebuild.

Here's a closer look at how these former Hawks are faring and what their future holds:

Alex DeBrincat (17G, 25A)

It was a quiet start for DeBrincat (2 goals in first 13 games) and the Senators, who were just 4-8-1 to that point. And although he's picked up the pace with 15 goals in the last 38 games, DeBrincat's not exactly lighting the world on fire.

Still, the Sens have quietly been working their way into playoff contention by going 18-12-2 since November 25.

Ottawa acquired DeBrincat by giving up the seventh and 39th picks of the 2022 draft and a third-rounder in 2024. It was a bold move for a franchise that has missed the playoffs for five straight seasons, but GM Pierre Dorion felt like the time was right.

"(Former baseball executive Dave Dombrowski) said, 'Prospects are good, prospects are nice, but they're not all going to play and at some point … you have to move some of them to take the next step," Dorion said after the deal went down. "I don't know David Dombrowski at all, but I respected that quote and it's something that always stuck with me."

DeBrincat's future is a bit murky, but Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Senators are not looking to trade their high-scoring forward this season. They may look to qualify DeBrincat at $9 million in 2023-24 then see if they can fit him into a crowded cap situation after that.

That's if DeBrincat wants to stay, of course. The guess here is the Michigan native will be playing elsewhere in 2024-25 and beyond.

Brandon Hagel (22G, 24A)

While the Lightning did give up a pair of first-round picks to acquire Hagel, this is one player Davidson may regret trading. Hagel is like a Tasmanian devil on the ice, hunting down pucks, nipping at opponent's heels, selflessly blocking shots and sniping pucks past goalies at a frightening pace.

"Playing with Patrick Kane and then coming here playing with Nikita Kucherov, you couldn't write it up any better in the story," Hagel told Tampa's FOXNews 13 on Jan. 23.

Hagel, who is on pace for 35 goals, had the fourth 3-point night of the season during the Lightning's 5-0 win over Colorado on Thursday. He also slid in front of a wicked blast by Bowen Byram, deflecting the shot with his right ankle.

A steal at only $1.5 million through next season, Hagel will still only be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in the summer of 2024. The Lightning do have a whopping $48.4 million committed to just six players through the 2026-27 season, but figure to do everything they can to keep Hagel.

Dylan Strome (11G, 25A)

After scoring a career-high 22 goals in 2021-22, Strome was allowed to walk and signed a one-year, $3.5 million with the Washington Capitals. Strome has mostly centered Alex Ovechkin's line, although coach Peter Laviolette loves the 25-year-old's versatility and has played him on the wing at times.

Strome fell out of favor with former Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton during 2020-21, when he scored just 9 goals in 40 games. After Colliton was fired early last season, Strome thrived under interim coach Derek King. He scored 18 goals and had 17 assists during a 35-game stretch from mid-January to mid-April.

The Hawks' loss has certainly been Washington's gain - and will be for some time as Strome just inked a five-year extension worth $25 million.

"Just a team that saw something in me and believes, like myself, that I'm only gonna get better over the next five years," Strome told reporters after signing the deal. "I'm really happy to be here."

Kirby Dach (12G, 23A)

Montreal gave the Hawks the 13th and 66th picks of the 2022 draft to acquire Dach. Two months later, Montreal inked Dach to a four-year, $13.45 million contract.

It's been a roller-coaster campaign for the former No. 3 pick, but he has been solid of late, scoring 7 goals and dishing out 5 assists while averaging 20 minutes of ice time in the last 14 games.

His latest tally tied Montreal's game against the Islanders at 3-3 with 3:16 remaining on Saturday. Dach carried the puck into the offensive zone, got it back to the point and then deflected a long shot into the net. Montreal went on to win 4-3 in OT.

He also had the Canadiens' only 2 goals against the powerful Bruins on Jan. 24. One was particularly impressive as he controlled the puck in the O-zone for nearly 10 seconds. After passing back to the point, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound Dach was there to backhand a rebound into the net.

"He's just powerful right now," Josh Anderson told The Athletic. "His reach, it can be so deadly. He's such a big body, and when he has full confidence like that, it's really hard to take the puck off him. That shift he dominated out there and got rewarded for it."

Dach's 35 points are third on Montreal behind Nick Suzuki (42) and Cole Caufield (36).

Dominik Kubalik (14G, 20A)

Detroit (23-20-8) signed Kubalik to a two-year, $5 million contract after the Hawks did not tender the restricted free agent. Kubalik scored in four of the first six games and had 10 goals and 15 assists after 25 contests.

Things have slowed down considerably since, however, as the 27-year-old has just 4 goals and 5 assists in the past 25 games while averaging under 14 minutes of ice time. He was a healthy scratch during Detroit's 2-1 win over Calgary on Thursday, but did return for Saturday's 5-2 victory over Vancouver.

Others

Defenseman Erik Gustafsson has 7 goals and 23 assists in 54 games with Washington; D-man Calvin de Haan has 2 goals and 8 assists in 43 games with Carolina. … Goalies Collin Delia (Vancouver) and Kevin Lankinen (Nashville) are in backup roles. Delia, who beat the Hawks on Jan. 24, is 7-3-1 with an .887 save percentage and 3.27 goals-against average. Lankinen is 5-4-1 with a .924 save percentage and 2.64 GAA.