SAM GAGNER - Center - 30 - $3.15MM Cap Hit - UFA in 2020-2021
LAST UPDATED 6/23/19
Gagner is truly a tragic case. After a 50 point rookie season as an 18 year old and a HUGE 8 point night, it always seemed like he was just oozing upside. Unfortunately, though, injuries and inconsistency cost him his spot as an NHL regular. Thankfully for him, though, he found a coach in John Tortorella who was able to utilize him effectively and was able to motivate him, leading Gagner to have a superb 50 point career renaissance. He played that season into a large contract with the Canucks, but never fit there, and was traded to Edmonton in a bad contract swap for Ryan Spooner. In Edmonton, Gagner was fine but never anything close to what he used to be his last tour of duty there. He always had his incredible playmaking abilities, hands, and vision, but he never had the mental fortitude to convert those tools into night-in-night-out point production. He's not a shooter and has issues with his two-way play, and given his defensive lapses he's likely better off as a winger at this point. But the upside is still very much there, and if a team can figure out what made him so successful in Columbus, they could have a top-6 player on their hands. The issue is Gagner's age, as most players that progress into their thirties don't experience career renaissances for a third time there. At this point, he's a streaky, inconsistent, but sometimes great bottom-6 scoring winger on a team where he fits, but is more of an AHL scorer/AAAA forward on a team where he doesn't.
Gagner is truly a tragic case. After a 50 point rookie season as an 18 year old and a HUGE 8 point night, it always seemed like he was just oozing upside. Unfortunately, though, injuries and inconsistency cost him his spot as an NHL regular. Thankfully for him, though, he found a coach in John Tortorella who was able to utilize him effectively and was able to motivate him, leading Gagner to have a superb 50 point career renaissance. He played that season into a large contract with the Canucks, but never fit there, and was traded to Edmonton in a bad contract swap for Ryan Spooner. In Edmonton, Gagner was fine but never anything close to what he used to be his last tour of duty there. He always had his incredible playmaking abilities, hands, and vision, but he never had the mental fortitude to convert those tools into night-in-night-out point production. He's not a shooter and has issues with his two-way play, and given his defensive lapses he's likely better off as a winger at this point. But the upside is still very much there, and if a team can figure out what made him so successful in Columbus, they could have a top-6 player on their hands. The issue is Gagner's age, as most players that progress into their thirties don't experience career renaissances for a third time there. At this point, he's a streaky, inconsistent, but sometimes great bottom-6 scoring winger on a team where he fits, but is more of an AHL scorer/AAAA forward on a team where he doesn't.
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