On Sunday afternoon, TSN’s Chris Johnston reported that former Oiler Sam Gagner was released from his professional tryout with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 35-year-old was selected sixth overall by the Oilers in the 2007 draft, scoring 13 goals and 49 points in his rookie season, his highest point total with the Oilers. In a February game in 2012, Gagner had four goals eight points, matching Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey’s franchise records set back in the 1980s.
In the summer of 2014, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Teddy Purcell, with the Lightning immediately trading him to the Arizona Coyotes.
Afterward, Gagner bounced around the league for a few seasons, playing for the Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets (where he scored a career-high 18 goals and 50 points in 81 games in 2016-17), Toronto Marlies, and Vancouver Canucks. During the 2018-19 season, it looked as if his career was on the ropes, as he spent 43 games in the American Hockey League.
However, the Oilers reacquired Gagner before the 2019 trade deadline for Ryan Spooner. In Gagner’s return, he scored five goals and 10 points in 25 games. The next season, he scored five goals and 12 points in 36 games before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings before the 2020 trade deadline.
In 2021-22, he scored 13 goals and 31 points on the rebuilding team, earning a depth forward contract with the Winnipeg Jets, where he scored eight goals and 14 points in 48 games during the 2022-23 season. During the 2023 off-season, Gagner signed a professional tryout with the Oilers, eventually ending up on the team where he scored five goals and 10 points in 28 games. In his first game after being called up, Gagner scored two goals against the Dallas Stars.
It’s unclear what will happen next in Gagner’s career, but nothing but the best for him.
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