Victor Hedman speaks with reporters postgame

Brandon Hagel is one of three Tampa Bay Lightning players representing Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. His selection is entirely understandable when looking at how spectacular he has played this season.

Hagel, 26, has dominated this season, posting 26 goals, 62 points, and a plus-24 rating in 55 games so far. This is after he set a new career-high with 75 points in 82 games last season.

With this, the Lightning's move to sign Hagel to an eight-year, $52 million contract extension is only continuing to get better. Hagel's extension kicked in this season, so the Lightning will have him at a $6.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2031-32 season. That's an absolute steal, especially when noting that this contract will be throughout Hagel's prime in the league.

The salary cap is also going up, so Hagel's contract should only continue to age better. This is especially so if the star winger continues to reach new heights offensively from here.

Overall, Hagel has become an integral part of the Lightning's roster, and that will remain the case for a long time because of his great contract. From here, it will be fascinating to see what he does with the Bolts.

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