Scout’s Notebook: Drafting the next Brandon Hagel and Blake Coleman

At the 2022 trade deadline, the Tampa Bay Lightning made two moves that would prove consequential for their back-to-back championships: Blake Coleman for a first-rounder and Nolan Foote, and Barclay Goodrow for a first-rounder.

Their success directly impacted the cost of their next big acquisition: Brandon Hagel. To win the bidding war with the Chicago Blackhawks, they had to fork over two first-rounders and a pair of young players with Hagel-like skills in Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk.

In the case of Coleman and Hagel, they aren’t merely third-liners. They’re top-nine forwards, owning the versatility to play up and down the lineup while posting positive results and making their linemates better.

So, let’s take a prospect-centric approach and figure out which draft-eligible prospects match the description. First, let’s define what Hagel and Coleman bring.