Brandon Hagel doesn't think he heard from then-Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, who now leads the Seattle Kraken front office, about the franchise's decision to relinquish his rights in 2018. "Yeah, not really," Hagel said when asked whether he communicated much with the Buffalo front office about the decision. "It kind of sucked because I spent two summers in Buffalo," Hagel said on the podcast. After not getting a contract from the Sabres, the 6-foot-2 Canadian decided to continue playing for the WHL's Red Deer Rebels. That's why the decision to pass on Hagel continues to sting for the Sabres fanbase.