Red Wings Review: Robert Hagg’s Future

Detroit Hockey Now’s Red Wings Review series is assessing every player who held a significant place in the fortunes of the 2022-23 Detroit Red Wings season. We’ll be looking at the highs and lows they experienced during the recently-completed campaign, as well as what the future holds for them in Detroit. Today, we feature Robert Hagg

Robert Hagg

Position: Defenseman

2022-23 totals (GP-G-A-PTs-): 38-2-5-7

Contract Status: Will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer.

Season Synopsis

Hagg, 28, has a number of attributes that make him him a desirable NHL depth defenseman.  “When he’s managing the puck, he’s good because he brings physicality, he brings battles, he’s a little heavier than some of our other D,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said this past season.

Detroit coaches probably wished he made fewer mistakes, but couldn’t that be said about most defensemen? After working through some injuries, Hagg was a regular third-pairing guy at the end of the season.

He’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. The Swedish player boasts 338 NHL regular-season games on his resume. He has an $800,000 salary cap hit. You can’t ask to much more for a player that wasn’t expected to be more than a third-pairing or No. 7 D Man.

Robert Hagg gets the boys going. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/WqTilz1wgl

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 22, 2023

Despite playing only 38 games this season, Hagg posted 111 hits and 47 blocked shots. Hagg gets his hands dirty when he plays hockey.

He’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. Hagg boasts 338 NHL regular-season games on his resume. He has an $800,000 salary cap hit. You can’t ask to much more for a player that wasn’t expected to be more than a third-pairing or No. 7 D Man.

2022-23 Red Wings Highlights

By the end of the season,  Hagg played well enough to be a regular on the Detroit defense. As a third-pairing contributor, he was +1 over the last 15 games. In that time span, the Red Wings had plenty of minus players.

TIE GAME. 😧

Lucas Raymond redirects the Robert Hagg shot from the point to tie the game late in the third period. pic.twitter.com/5x8I05QH0I

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 9, 2023

2022-23 Red Wings Lowlight

Because of injury and the Red Wings’ depth on the blue line, Hagg played only one game from Nov. 12 to Feb. 9

 What Does His Detroit Future Holds

If Hagg was a right-shot defenseman, Yzerman might have re-signed him to play the same role he played last season. Coaches seem to prefer their extra defensemen to be on the physical side.

As a UFA, Hagg will probably be looking more at opportunity than the money. No matter where Hagg goes, he’s going to be a player earning less than $1 million. What he desires most is probably a decent shot at playing in a team’s top six.

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With Detroit looking to bring aboard younger defensemen, such as Simon Edvinsson and perhaps Albert Johansson, Hagg’s best opportunity may be with another team. The Red Wings, meanwhile, could be moving on without Hagg, Jordan Oesterle and Gustav Lindstrom from their 2022-23 defense.