Tampa Bay Lightning have traded two first-round picks in 2023 and 2024 as well as two young forward Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh for Brandon Hagel, and two fourth rounders in 2022 and 2024 with the Chicago Blackhawks, according to ESPN.

In his third season in the NHL, Hagel has scored 21 goals and 16 assists in 55 games with 23 penalty minutes. He has a 22.3 shooting percentage, which is the third-highest of all players who have played at least 50 games.

According to Evolving Hockey data, the 23-year-old leads the Blackhawks in goals scored above average (13.3). More importantly, Hagel's contract is so economical compared with his performance. He is currently in the first of a three-year, $4.5 million deal and will become a restricted free agent only in 2024.

That explained why the Lightning were willing to give up so many assets for him. Both of the first rounders they gave the Blackhawks were top 10 protected, according to ESPN. If their first-round pick for 2022 is in the top 10, the Lightning will give their unprotected first rounder for 2025 to the Blackhawks. If both first round picks for 2023 and 2024 are in the top 10, then the Blackhawks will have Lightning's unprotected first rounders for 2025 and 2026.

As a team that won the Stanley Cup twice and reached the Conference Finals four times in the past six seasons, Lightning were not drafting very high positions. Their first rounder numbers were 32, 31, 27, 28, 14 and 27. Therefore when Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said "we are rebuilding, and this is clearly the start of that," he'd better know what's he talking about.

Two years ago, the Lightning made a similar trade to acquire Blake Coleman from the New Jersey Devils. Then they won the Stanley Cup championships back-to-back.