The 5 Players That Make Up The Future Blackhawks Core

2. Brandon Hagel

Maybe it is still a little bit of an over reaction to call Hagel a member of the future core of this team. But I really do not think there is a case to be made to call Hagel a piece of the future for a while.

Hagel signed a three year 1.5 million dollar contract this past offseason keeping him in Chicago through the 2023-24 season. Amongst forwards, that is the longest length of a contract for the forward group.

Hagel and Tyler Johnson are the only two forwards on contracts worth more than a million that are signed for more than two years. A lot of the forward group is done at the end of this season or next.

Hagel is only 23 and has shown what he can do at the NHL level. As the talent around him gets better he is only going to be a better player. No matter who has been his coach - Derek King or Jeremy Colliton - he has quickly become a favorite of both the coaching staff and the fans as he is used in so many different situations.

The 23 year old forward is fourth on the league in pints and second in goals with eight on the season. He is also the best when it comes to corsi percentage when looking at players that have played more than one game. He has a corsi percentage of 53.4 on the year thus far.