Before joining the Capitals, Carl Hagelin was a known Caps killer as a member of the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
At this years upcoming trade deadline, Hagelin was almost a Penguin again according to Elliotte Friedman’s recent 31 Thoughts column.
From 31 Thoughts:
18. In the days leading up to Carl Hagelin’s trade to Washington, Pittsburgh tried to re-acquire the winger. Before the trade was submitted for Central Registry approval, someone noticed that the Penguins were ineligible to do it. They traded him to Los Angeles on Nov. 28 and retained salary. A team can not bring back any such player for one year after the initial move.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement specifies this exact case.
Within section 50.5 and under subsection e, “Payroll Room,” it’s noted that a team cannot “Reacquire within one (1) calendar year from the date of that Retained Salary Transaction an SPC the Averaged Amount and Player Salary and Bonuses of which that Club agreed to retain as part of a Retained Salary Transaction.”
The Pens retained $250k of Hagelin’s salary when he was traded to the Kings on Nov. 28, and currently the Kings are retaining 50 percent of Hagelin’s $4 million salary and $3.75 million cap hit in their deal with the Caps.
Instead of getting Hagelin back, the Penguins acquired Erik Gudbranson from the Vancouver Canucks for Tanner Pearson after a rash of injuries to their defense corps.
All this to say, the Penguins are bankrolling a player on the Capitals that they traded away, then tried to reacquire before the deadline. Karma does in fact exist.
Headline photo: Bill Wippert
