Sam Gagner

Sam Gagner

35-Year-Old CenterC
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Sam Gagner in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Released from professional tryout agreement with the Hurricanes in October of 2024.
Cut loose from PTO
CFree Agent
October 6, 2024
Carolina released Gagner on Sunday from his professional tryout agreement, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Gagner chipped in five goals and five assists in 28 games with Edmonton during the 2023-24 regular season. There isn't much time left before the 2024-25 campaign begins for most teams, so he may have to settle for an AHL contract before aiming for a two-way agreement.
Read More News
NHL Stats
Loading Skater Stats...
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2024 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2023 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2022 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2021 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2020 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2019 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2018 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2017 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2016 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2022–23
12:10
1:33
0:01
2023–24
10:13
0:44
0:00
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Sam Gagner See More
NHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Pacific Division
76 days ago
RotoWire's Shawn Hutchinson concludes his division preview series with a look at the Pacific Division, with check-ins on a Cup contender, rebuilding clubs and all those in the middle.
NHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Metropolitan Division
83 days ago
It's time for Part 3 of Shawn Hutchinson's look around the NHL with a deep dive into the Metropolitan Division, including whether a younger team can shake things up.
NHL Top Remaining Free Agents
111 days ago
Training camps are right around the corner but there are plenty of free agents still remaining. RotoWire's Shawn Hutchinson is here to break down the best options remaining.
NHL DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, April 17
242 days ago
Stacking Nikita Kucherov and the Lightning could be the key to success in Wednesday's NHL contests on DraftKings.
NHL Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for Blues vs. Jets
January 30, 2023
Dan Dobish dives into the odds for Monday's standalone NHL game between the Blues and Jets and lines up his best bets and player props for the contest.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
Gagner recently completed his 15th NHL season, including his second in Detroit. He provided some veteran leadership and solid value for the Wings, posting 13 goals and 31 points in 81 games, all at the bargain basement rate of $850,000. Gagner is still just 33 years of age, so he should have some gas left in the tank, although he remained unsigned as of late August. The uncertainty of Gagner's situation makes him a clear pass in fantasy drafts, although it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see him latch on with a club on a professional tryout right before training camp opens.
Gagner was able to plateau his recent decline with 15 points and 88 shots on goal in 42 games with the Red Wings last year. The 32-year-old forward hasn't topped 20 points in any of the last three seasons while donning three different sweaters, so it's clear his former glory as a reliable 40-point option is far gone. He's a good bet to stick in the lineup more often than not given the lack of better options in the Red Wings' locker room, but his ceiling is likely 25 points in a full season, and he'll add almost nothing in terms of physicality after recording five hits and 15 PIM in 2020-21.
Gagner switched teams in the middle of the 2019-20 campaign, ending the year with 13 points in 42 games split between the Oilers and the Red Wings after coming to Detroit at the trade deadline. A polarizing player, Gagner hasn't come anywhere near his career-best 50-point season from 2016-17 in recent years. He's missed the 20-point mark in each of the last two years, and fantasy managers shouldn't expect a sudden resurgence from the 31-year-old forward. More than likely, Gagner will be able to retain a spot in the Wings' lineup barring injury, but there's little to like from a fantasy perspective.
Gagner's 2018-19 campaign was his worst season since entering the NHL. The 29-year-old, splitting time between Vancouver and Edmonton, appeared in just 32 games and managed a total of just 13 points, his lowest single-season output ever. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Gagner, but the once-upon-a-time, can't-miss prospect appears to already have one foot out the proverbial door and could see his time in the NHL come to a close if he's unable to find his game in 2019-20.
Gagner is a versatile forward with a little skill, but he lacks the ability and consistency to be a scoring threat. He scored just 11 points with the man advantage despite averaging over two minutes per game last season, and 31 points marked the second-lowest total of his 11-year career. Entering his 12th season, Gagner is still searching for his first 20-goal campaign. When injuries hit, Gagner's value increases because he can move up the lineup, but when the team is healthy he'll only see bottom-six minutes and spot duty with the man advantage. Expectations must be tempered because he was waived by the Canucks and subsequently loaned to AHL Toronto. Given his inconsistency and unimpressive track record, Gagner is not a reliable fantasy option.
Coming off a terrible season in Philly and joining a team coming off a brutal season of its own, Gagner’s modest one-year deal with the Blue Jackets didn't attract much notice last August. My, how times have changed. The journeyman found a home on an explosive Columbus power play, leading him to a career-high 50 points and a three-year, $9.45 million contract with the Canucks. He’s still never lived up to the hype of being the sixth overall pick in 2007, but Gagner showed last year he can contribute offensively without being a defensive liability, something that was very much in doubt given the ugly plus-minus ratings he was posting a few seasons ago. Expect him to fill a similar role in Vancouver, with his production tied to the effectiveness of the team’s power-play unit.
It’s hard to believe Gagner is only 26, but the former OHL star has spent nine seasons in the NHL, with each new season holding less promise than before. He scored just eight goals and 16 points in 53 games with the Flyers, prompting a no-brainer decision to not re-sign him. Gagner is a playmaking winger who lacks size and has a history of concussions, making him a dicey investment for the Blue Jackets, who signed him to a one-year deal August 1.
Traded to the Flyers from the Coyotes in late June, Gagner is getting a fresh start with an offensively talented hockey team. The 26-year-old's own gifts as a playmaker have never been in question, but it's his perpetual lack of consistency that will result in him skating for his third team in as many seasons. Coming off a 15-goal, 41-point season with Arizona in 2014-15, Gagner is expected to skate on the Flyers' third line, while potentially factoring into their second power-pay unit. Though Philadelphia boasts two of the league's top point getters in Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, they struggled to generate much offense from their bottom six, but Gagner certainly has the ability to help change that narrative. He could very well deliver another 40-point campaign, though his minimal contributions in the non-scoring categories will work to negate his overall fantasy impact,
It feels like Gagner has been around forever, but we’re still waiting on the 25-year-old to deliver the breakout that has never seemed to come. Still, Gagner is a highly-skilled player who will slot into the role the Coyotes hoped Mike Ribeiro would fill: as a staple among their top-six forwards and a key cog on the power play. His 37 points and minus-29 rating in 2013-14 qualified a disappointment, but Gagner did miss a dozen games and was undermined by one of the league’s worst defenses in Edmonton. The change of scenery can only help. Gagner will likely line up on a wing and play some center, but the big question is whether in his eighth season in the NHL, he has another gear to get over the 50-point hump once and for all.
So much for a 55-point season. Gagner underwent surgery to repair a broken jaw in the last week of September, courtesy of the errant stick of Vancouver's Zach Kassian. At least Kassian was suspended -- Gagner's face looked like it had been rearranged a little like a Mr. Potato Head. He's out for the first two months of the season and that seriously puts a damper on both his output and the Oilers', too. Once he returns, he'll have to earn his way back to center an up-and-coming second line with Nail Yakupov and Ales Hemsky (or Hemsky's replacement, if they successfully move him). Forty points might be a stretch. Ouch ... literally and figuratively.
Gagner has been pushed to the second line with the Oil's addition of so much top end talent. He can still be a useful player, but is no longer seen as someone to build a franchise around and his naem is often whispered in trade rumors. Gagner is still just 22 years of age and could start this year with 2012's top overall pick, Nail Yakupov, flanking him, but his upside seems to be that of a 20-goal scorer with only a small handful of those goals on the power play.
Gagner missed the final month of the 2010-11 season after having his hand sliced open by a teammate during a game. He will be fully recovered from the freak accident for the start of this season and is expected to center the second line. Gagner has disappointed the Oilers as he hasn't taken that next step in his evolution since scoring 49 points in his rookie campaign. The Oilers are starting to acquire more offensive talent and if Gagner is unable to take that next step this season, he may find his playing time diminished or taken away all together.
Gagner was another Oiler that ended last season on injured reserve. His problem was with his hip and although the injury wasn't considered all that serious, the Oilers decided it would be best not to take a chance with their young center. If he had stayed healthy Gagner was poised to score the most goals in a season in his young career, but is still not much of a fantasy force with the exception of deeper leagues as scoring more than 25 goals in a season may be a stretch for him if he's not on the first line.
Gagner was part of the problem in Edmonton last season. Not so much for declining play, but for having pretty much the same season as his freshman year. Improvement was expected, but outside of improving his plus/minus from -21 to -1, his stats are similar. If he wants more ice time, than he will have to find the back of the net more than the 16 times he did in 2008-09. Once again the upside is there for him to do just that, but his ceiling may be that of a 25-30 goal scorer.
Gagner had a solid rookie season for Edmonton finishing with 13 goals and 49 points in 79 games. He has a very bright future. Finished the season as the Oilers number one center and should remain there. Although not a fantasy stud as of yet, there is plenty of room for improvement.
Gagner has terrific hockey sense to go along with good offensive upside and defensive smarts. Hopefully, his development will continue in the upcoming years as the Oilers have a great prospect here. He'll likely return to London of the OHL in 2007-08.
Gagner could very well one of the smartest hockey minds in this year's draft and we all know how hockey IQ can elevate a player's ultimate performance. Sure, he's a bit on the small side at 5'10" and 191 lbs, and he needs to improve his skating. But this kid is one of those seeing-eye playmakers who can dish up tasty little passes to sniping linemates. He needs some more seasoning but he will some day deliver better than a point per game. And fantasy owners will rejoice.
More Fantasy News
Three points Saturday
CCarolina Hurricanes  Free Agent
October 6, 2024
Gagner scored a goal on two shots and added two assists and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's preseason win over the Predators.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Secures tryout
CCarolina Hurricanes  Free Agent
September 17, 2024
Gagner will take part in training camp with Carolina on a professional tryout agreement, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Called up Wednesday
CEdmonton Oilers  Free Agent
April 17, 2024
Gagner was called up from AHL Bakersfield on Wednesday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Sent to minors
CEdmonton Oilers  Free Agent
March 6, 2024
Gagner was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Wednesday, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Likely to remain in NHL
CEdmonton Oilers  Free Agent
March 6, 2024
Gagner is expected to remain in the NHL if he clears waivers Wednesday, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Getting PTO with Carolina?
CFree Agent
September 10, 2024
Gagner is expected to agree to a professional tryout agreement with Carolina, per PuckPedia.
ANALYSIS
Gagner produced five goals and 10 points in 28 regular-season contests for Edmonton in 2023-24. If he secures a tryout agreement with the Hurricanes, the 35-year-old forward will compete for a bottom-six role during training camp.
See All NHL Rumors