EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — One of Carl Hagelin’s best memories of Pittsburgh does not involve hockey.
Directly, anyway.
On Nov. 14, the day he was traded from Pittsburgh to the Los Angeles Kings, Hagelin said he and his best friend on the team, Patric Hornqvist, got their families together at Hornqvist’s house — steps from where Hagelin lived — that night, and they reminisced about the many memories the two Swedes made during their time together with the Penguins.
“That was nice,” Hagelin told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after the Kings’ morning skate Thursday at Toyota Sports Complex. “Nothing special. Just at his house, hanging out. Reliving memories.”
And there were certainly plenty to relive, most notably a pair of Stanley Cups.
There’s also a good chance they talked about the morning skate before Game 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, just the two of them and Matt Cullen.
“Well,” Cullen said that morning, “I know the Swedes are ready.”
That turned out to be oddly prophetic, too, as Hornqvist and Hagelin scored the only two goals of the Penguins’ Cup-clinching victory that night.
While Hagelin said it would be too tough to narrow down the list of good times, there was plenty for him and Hornqvist to talk about.
“There’s so many things that come with the Stanley Cup,” Hagelin said. “Both of those years were very different years. One when I just got traded there, and we went on a run … it was kind of unstoppable. The other year was more of us finding a way throughout the whole playoffs to win games. They’re both just as satisfying. Just different.
“Then obviously us having our first-born child in Pittsburgh, that was a pretty cool experience. Overall, those playoff games throughout the years, they’re so much fun. The fans are great. Everything around the team, everyone cares so much.”
The adjustment to life in Los Angeles has been a little tougher than expected for Hagelin, who recently returned from a 20-game absence because of a sprained MCL. But having several players out at the time helped Hagelin feel connected right away.
“That helped me feel like you’re a part of the team,” Hagelin said. “Even if you’re hurt on a team you’ve been on for a while, you still feel a little isolated.
“It’s good to know the guys. It’s good to be back out now.”
Hagelin said he wasn’t expecting a trade at all when he was moved.
At that time, Hagelin was doing his usual thing. He had one goal and three points in 16 games. He was solid defensively. He clicked with Evgeni Malkin. He was a big part of the penalty kill.
“At the time I thought I was playing pretty well,” Hagelin said. “I wasn’t really walking around thinking I was going to get traded. When it happened, it was a shock.”
But it wasn’t devastating, as Hagelin referenced previous trades in his career — New York to Anaheim, Anaheim to Pittsburgh — when trying to figure out how to feel.
“I’ve been through it before,” Hagelin said. “It’s nothing that lingers on me. I see it as a good opportunity. I came over here, played five good games, then I got hurt. It was tough to swallow right when it happened. Now it’s looking forward. Play as well as I can here.”
Although they’re marooned at the bottom of the Western Conference — only the Flyers have fewer than L.A.’s 37 points — the Kings have appreciated what Hagelin has brought to the team.
It’s been the same sort of stuff that endeared him to the Penguins, too: a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, the presence of someone who has played a lot of important hockey games throughout his career.
At the time of the trade, nobody had played more than Hagelin’s 624 NHL games (regular season and playoffs) since his debut on Nov. 25, 2011.
“He’s been awesome,” Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin said. “Another veteran guy who can help the young guys coming in here. He comes to the rink every day and works his [butt] off. He’s positive. He’s won. He’s just a good all-around player. He’s been a really good asset for us.”
Yet one they could also flip, too. Hagelin’s on an expiring contract, which means that the last-place Kings will probably want to get something for someone with Hagelin’s pedigree.
Could that be the Penguins? It’s a little far-fetched, but Malkin hasn’t been the same player since Hagelin left. Current Penguins players wouldn’t mind, but Hagelin isn’t thinking about that.
“I try not to think too much about the future,” Hagelin said. “I’m here trying to help this team make the playoffs. ... That’s the only thing that’s on my mind right now.”
Which is understandable if you go back to how the trade went down. Hagelin said his mom had actually landed in Pittsburgh when he had to break the news to her that he had been traded.
“She wasn’t pleased about it,” Hagelin said.
But the good part was that Hagelin’s wife, Erica, got a little help while executing a cross-country move with 6-month-old daughter, Blanche, in tow.
“That was kind of nice,” Hagelin said. “It was good for my wife that my mom just got in, so she could stay with her for another week before she headed out here.”
It’s doubtful Hagelin will see his old teammates much. The Kings play Thursday, and the Penguins are back-to-back Friday and Saturday. Probably only after Saturday’s game.
Which may be for the best given how emotional Hagelin and Hornqvist were, and still are, about the trade and Hagelin having to leave Pittsburgh.
“We had been neighbors and best friends for three years,” Hagelin said. “It was obviously tough. Our wives are really tight. We spent a lot of time with his family. That’s part of the business. Now we keep in touch as much as we can.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: January 10, 2019, 8:26 p.m.