Brandon Hagel doesn't think he heard from then-Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, who now leads the Seattle Kraken front office, about the franchise's decision to relinquish his rights in 2018.
Hagel, who ultimately signed with the Chicago Blackhawks before transforming into an NHL cornerstone with the Tampa Bay Lightning, talked about the Sabres not giving him an entry-level contract during an appearance Tuesday on The Cam & Strick Podcast.
"Yeah, not really," Hagel said when asked whether he communicated much with the Buffalo front office about the decision. "My agent just kind of called me and he said [an ELC wasn't offered]. Then I think, I don't remember who it was, and he just said, 'They're not going to sign you.' I think it was a player development guy who called at the time. He was like, 'Hey, I hope you prove us wrong, but good luck.' Stuff like that."
The Sabres selected the winger with the No. 159 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, and he spent the next two years trying to convince the organization he deserved a longer look.
"It kind of sucked because I spent two summers in Buffalo," Hagel said on the podcast. "They made me, they wanted me to stay in Buffalo. So I was like, I think it's obviously the right thing to do is stay and try and get better."
After not getting a contract from the Sabres, the 6-foot-2 Canadian decided to continue playing for the WHL's Red Deer Rebels. He gave himself a deadline of getting a contract before Christmas or he was going to put hockey on the back burner and start college classes.
Hagel ended up signing a three-year entry-level deal with Chicago in October 2018. He finished his final WHL campaign with an eye-popping 102 points (41 goals and 61 assists) in 66 games.
The 2025 NHL Second All-Star Team selection spent most of the next season with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs before making the jump to the Blackhawks in 2020-21, and the rest is history. He's now one of the league's most complete forwards.
Giving up his rights for nothing will go down as one of the biggest mistakes in Sabres history.
Brandon Hagel would be a perfect fit on current Buffalo Sabres roster
If there's one thing missing for the Sabres ahead of the 2026-27 season, it's a bona fide first-line forward capable of taking some offensive pressure off the shoulders of Tage Thompson.
Hagel certainly fits the bill. He's racked up 310 points (131 goals and 179 assists) in 338 appearances across five seasons in Tampa Bay, and he's lit the lamp 71 times over the past two years.
The Saskatchewan native is also a valuable special-teams contributor, playing on both the power play and penalty kill for the Bolts, and he'd perfectly match Buffalo's contention window at age 27.
Instead, Hagel will continue to lace up his skates with the Lightning, one of the Sabres' toughest competitors in a loaded Atlantic Division.
It's been a relatively quiet NHL free-agent period for the Blue and Gold, who made a run at signing Buffalo native Patrick Kane before he decided to rejoin the Blackhawks for a second stint. The only notable forward added was Conor Sheary, who'll compete for the reserve forward role.
The Sabres aren't lacking on talent up front with Thompson joined by Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker. They also have a contingent of young players on the rise, led by Jack Quinn, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius.
So, strength up and down the lineup shouldn't be an issue, but it just feels like Buffalo lacks star power compared to the league's top-tier Stanley Cup contenders.
That's why the decision to pass on Hagel continues to sting for the Sabres fanbase. He could have been the missing piece for the club's current roster puzzle.
Botterill, who's continued to struggle as a GM in Seattle, let that opportunity slip through his fingers eight years ago. Tampa is reaping the massive benefits of that error in judgment.
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