There won’t be another homecoming for Sam Gagner this fall.
The veteran forward has agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Detroit Red Wings reportedly worth $850k.
The #RedWings today signed center Sam Gagner to a one-year contract extension. pic.twitter.com/p6UylW071Y
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 26, 2020
Gagner spent his first seven seasons in the NHL with the Oilers but has bounced around the league in six seasons since.
He was traded from Edmonton to Tampa Bay for Teddy Purcell but was immediately flipped to Arizona. A year later, he was sent to Philadelphia in a deal involving Chirs Pronger’s dead contract. He signed with Columbus after that in free agency and had a resurgent 50-point season that earned him a multi-year deal in Vancouver.
After struggling with the Canucks, Gagner was shipped back to Edmonton in exchange for Ryan Spooner in a change-of-scenery deal. He spent parts of two seasons with the Oilers before getting dealt to Detroit as a cap casualty in the Andreas Athanasiou deal at this year’s trade deadline.
Gagner scored one goal in six games with the Wings before the season got shut down, but he provides a rebuilding Detroit squad with a good veteran presence to have around their young players. I’d have loved to see Sammy G come back and be that veteran in Edmonton, so I can see why the Wings jumped at the bit to make it happen.