Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was caught a bit off guard when his team traded forward Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday.
"Yeah, if Hags is the guy to get traded, if he’s not a guy that’s a part of a rebuild, then I don’t know," Toews said, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.
"I don’t know if anyone feels safe at this point, with the way he’s been playing and what he’s meant to our team. I had a hard time thinking in my mind that he would be one of the guys to get shipped off, considering what he brought in. Yeah, that was a tough one to see. I’m pretty shocked, for sure."
The Blackhawks acquired Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, and a pair of first-round picks for Hagel. The 23-year-old, who was enjoying a great season in Chicago, is signed for two more years at a $1.5-million annual cap hit.
General manager Kyle Davidson released a statement Friday citing how the move is a part of the team's rebuild.
"I said a few weeks ago that we are rebuilding, and this is clearly the start of that. Getting two first-round draft picks as well as two young NHL players helps us kickstart that process in a major way," the statement reads.
After winning three Stanley Cups between 2010-2015, the Blackhawks have struggled to get back to being a contender. The club has missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.
Toews and Patrick Kane each have just one more year remaining on their contracts. The Blackhawks have floated the pair around in trade rumors as they look to usher in a new era, and Toews acknowledged the reality that the franchise could end up trading him and all his teammates.
"Now, all of a sudden, you realize no one on our team is safe, and we could all be going in different directions in the near future - it’s pretty discouraging," Toews said. "I’ll leave it at that for now."
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