Trade completed between the Blackhawks and Lightning involving a star continues to look sour for Chicago

The former Blackhawk is on a tear with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, and watching him rack up goals and points makes the trade that sent him to Tampa look worse and worse for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hagel was also recently awarded a substantial contract extension with the Lightning.

Hagel has piled up 15 goals, 12 assists, and 27 points in just 24 games so far-that scoring pace puts him among the more dangerous forwards in the league right now.

Those numbers stand in sharp contrast to what Chicago got back when they shipped him out.

The trade happened on March 18, 2022, when Chicago dealt Hagel to Tampa Bay in exchange for forwards Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh plus two conditional first-round picks.

At the time, management argued the picks and prospects would jump-start the rebuild. That may be true for the prospect pool, but from a pure forward impact standpoint, there is no question the Blackhawks are missing what Hagel brings every night.

Watching Hagel put up a 90-point pace last season with Tampa Bay and now dominate games makes you wonder what could be if Chicago still had him.

Fans in Chicago would kill to have a power-forward winger like Hagel to play alongside rising star Connor Bedard.

Someone who brings speed, scoring touch, and energy. With Bedard already drawing attention and expectations, Hagel beside him might have pushed the Blackhawks' recent rebuild from promising to dangerous.

Chicago could still benefit long-term from the picks and prospects they got. But Hagel is the kind of forward who isn't replaceable through potential-he delivers right now.

His hot streak this season only underlines how much the Blackhawks lost when they let him go.

If they want to keep moving forward, Chicago's leadership might have to finally admit they were wrong to part with Hagel so early.