The Washington Capitals announced that winger Carl Hagelin has undergone hip resurfacing surgery and will be out indefinitely.
Hagelin is set to begin rehabilitation and recovery for the injury immediately. Hagelin hasn’t played a game yet this season due to a hip and eye injury. But he was recently skating with the Capitals and looking to return until this surgery, which seems to have sidelined him for the rest of the season, and possibly his career.
This type of surgery already has plenty of risks associated with it for an athlete, and with Hagelin being 34 years old, his age creates an even bigger risk. Teammate Nicklas Backstrom also underwent this type of surgery in the 2022 offseason and just recently returned to the Capitals lineup.
Another factor in Hagelin’s career is his contract status. He’s in the final season of a four-year deal that he signed with the Capitals and is set to become an unrestricted free agent. After having not played a game since Feb. 28, 2022, the market for him may not be all that large if he hits free agency.
On top of that, Hagelin’s health and recent production could scare teams away. He’s played just 167 games over the course of his four-year deal, with just 17 goals, 38 assists and 55 points in that span.
If this is an end to Hagelin’s career, he’ll finish with 110 goals, 186 assists and 296 points in 713 games over the course of 11 seasons with the New York Rangers (who drafted him in 2007 in the sixth round), Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and the Capitals. Hagelin would also leave as a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning both with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 as a part of the dynamic third line with Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino.
Hagelin initially joined the Caps in the 2018-19 season as a trade-deadline addition, dealt from the Kings in exchange for a third-round pick in 2019. That pick ended up being goaltender Lukas Parik, who’s played just five AHL games up to this point in his career.
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