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Sam Gagner

The Impressive Rise Of The Columbus Blue Jackets

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Raise your hand if you had the Columbus Blue Jackets ripping off 12 straight wins and rocketing to the top of the NHL as the league’s best team.

You’re not alone.

Outside of those who built the team or are currently playing for them, few had the Blue Jackets “making any noise” in the East. Coming off a poor showing in the World Cup of Hockey, bench boss John Tortorella was the odds on favorite to be fired first this season. What a difference a couple of months make.

The “first fired” honor would end up going to Gerard Gallant, who was let go by Florida. Tortorella, meanwhile, is guiding the Blue Jackets to one of their best runs in franchise history.

But there were a couple victories that stood out along the way:

  • Thumping Montreal 10-0 in Columbus back on November 4th. It was significant for two reasons: first, they blew out a Habs team on an eight game winning streak. Second, it signaled the turnaround for the Jackets was underway. Though at the time it was their third consecutive victory, Columbus recovered from an 0-2 start and were then 5-3-2 after its first 10 games. Since then, the Jackets are a staggering 18-2-2.
  • In the battle of the Metropolitan Division this past week, the Jackets slapped the defending champ Penguins in the face with a 7-1 romp that gave them sole possession of first place.

Columbus is undefeated in the month of December, and with only three games remaining before the calendar turns over to 2017, they have the possibility of running the table in the final month of 2016.  The Jackets have rightfully received a lot of press for their performance.

Puck Daddy’s Sean Leahy writes that the cunning signing of Sam Gagner has paid dividends for the Jackets. Currently, Gagner has 26 points (14-12) and has been one of the better value based signings in years (one-year, $650K).

October 28, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center <a rel=Eric Seeds from Blue Jackets blog The Cannon argues that the Jackets are for real, no matter what pundits say. Seeds points out a number of the catalysts for the teams rise. First, netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has been healthy and dominant. Back in August, it was reported that the Jackets had sunk significant resources into ensuring Bobrovsky’s training was top notch. So far, so good. His numbers (21-5-2, .935 save percentage) should remain strong should he remain healthy and not run into the bumps of the past–which usually centered around getting injured.

One other point: the emergence of 19-year-old Zach Werenski. Much has been written about the dynamic defenseman from the University of Michigan who stands as one of the better bets to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. Werenski has helped the power play tremendously, and has shored up a blue line with other young talents like Seth Jones.

Fans and other teams are taking notice, but it doesn’t concern Tortorella, who has been vigilant in keeping attention off of his streaking team, especially since there are some who think the Jackets might not be as strong as they look.

Regardless of how it turns out, the Jackets’ rise in the Eastern Conference has been a treat for the hockey world to watch–and rewarding for a fan base that has only seen two playoff appearances in the organization’s sixteen seasons.

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Sam Gagner Wants To Stay With Columbus Beyond This Season

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Columbus center/right winger Sam Gagner has been the bargain of the season so far.  With 22 points (13-9-22) through 28 games, he has already surpassed last season’s point total of 16 in 53 games and he realistically has a chance of setting a new career high in scoring (49 points back in his rookie season in 2007-08) if he can maintain his current price.  The Blue Jackets are getting all that production for the very low price of $650K, or $75K above the league minimum salary.

Not surprisingly, given the success he has had so far, Gagner has already indicated that he would like to stay with the team beyond his current contract which expires in July, he told Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:

“Obviously you want to find a place that’s a good fit, where you get a chance to play important minutes. That’s the main thing. You never want to look too far ahead, but I’ve enjoyed it here so far and want to keep going here.”

While his minute total isn’t particularly high at 13:35 per night, more than three minutes below his career average, he is among the team leaders in ice time per game with the man advantage and he has thrived with that ice time with five goals and five assists on the power play.

Going into the season, head coach John Tortorella called this season Gagner’s “last kick at the can”.  While on the surface that might sound odd for a 27 year old, this is his fourth different team in as many seasons and he had to wait a full month in free agency before he landed this contract.  The bench boss has been quite pleased with how Gagner has fit in so far:

“I know he’s not the big name player in the league and all that, but I think it’s a great story, him coming to the ’lowly’ Columbus Blue Jackets and trying to find his way back into the National Hockey League. I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s kind of a utility guy for us right now, but in these first (29 games), he’s given us some really good minutes.”

As things stand, the Blue Jackets already have over $67MM committed to their payroll for next season according to CapFriendly.  With a salary cap that’s likely to be similar to the $73MM that it is this year, that doesn’t necessarily leave a lot of wiggle room to get Gagner signed, especially since center Alexander Wennberg is a restricted free agent.  There is still plenty of time to make room for Gagner if the team wants to bring him back though; he can’t even sign an extension until January 1st at the earliest.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Metropolitan Division, Laine

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For the second straight week, a Philadelphia Flyer has been named the first star of the NHL.

Jakub Voracek had nine points in four games (3-6-9) as the Flyers went 4-0-0 as they continue their incredible nine-game winning-streak. The high point of the week was a four-point game in the Flyers 6-5 win over the Oilers. Voracek is now third in NHL scoring with 32 points in 31 games behind only Vladimir Tarasenko (32 points in 29 games) and Connor McDavid (39 points in 31 games).

Antti Raanta went 3-0-0 with two shutouts as he temporarily takes the net over from Henrik Lundqvist. His back-to-back shutouts marked the first time that a Rangers goaltender earned back-to-back shutouts since 2003 when Mike Dunham did it. Raanta now has an 8-1-0 record with a sparkling 0.943 SV%.

Sam Gagner may be the best value contract (non entry-level) in the NHL, with 19 points in 25 games for just $650K. He had six points in three games this past week (3-3-6) as the Blue Jackets added to their six game winning streak. He has already surpassed his point totals from last season (16 points in 53 games with an AHL demotion).

  • The Metropolitan Division is the best division in hockey right now, writes NBC Sports’ Jason Brough. The New York Rangers are tied for first in the NHL, but just below them are the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the Philadelphia Flyers who have won nine games in a row, the Columbus Blue Jackets who have won 11 of 16 and six in a row, and the reigning President’s Trophy winners in the Washington Capitals. All those teams are four points apart. They’re at least seven points up on the Devils, Hurricanes, and Islanders. The latter has gone 6-1-1 in their last eight, but are still ten points behind the fifth place team. Those top five teams are all in the top eight of the NHL.
  • Patrik Laine is leading all rookies in goal scoring and is third in the entire NHL with 17 goals in 32 games, but he had a rough go last night. With the Jets and Oilers tied at two in the last ten minutes of the third, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck kicked a Mark Letestu shot into the slot and Laine one-timed the puck into his own net, in an apparent attempt to clear the puck. It stood up as the winning goal. New Jets captain Blake Wheeler did a good job consoling Laine on the bench and Laine got another shot-on-goal as the Jets fought to tie the game.

Camp Notes: Gagner, Flyers, Sergachev

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Sam Gagner has had a roller-coaster career. After looking like a young all-star in his early Edmonton Oilers career, he just hasn’t been able to put all his talents together for a full season.  Heading into this season with his fourth NHL club, he’s trying to show the Columbus Blue Jackets that he can be relied upon as a top-six contributor.

As Rob Mixer writes on NHL.com, he’s already starting to turn heads in Ohio. Skating alongside Brandon Saad at times, the 27-year old center has proven his ability both 5-on-5 and on the powerplay early in camp. Whether he plays with Saad during the season or not, Gagne is just happy to be a part of the squad:

At the end of the day, it’s not really my decision as far as where I play or who I play with. I’m happy to play with whoever and wherever they decide to slot me.

  • The Flyers have made a round of cuts, according to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, and one of them is 2016 second-round pick Carter Hart. Even though the Everett Silvertips starter is only 18, many believe he is polished enough to make an NHL impact within the next few years. While many goalies don’t hit their prime until their late-twenties, perhaps it will come slightly earlier for Hart, who already logged a hefty workload last season. In 63 regular season games, Hart carried a 2.18 GAA and .918 sv%.
  • After sustaining an injury earlier this summer, Mikhail Sergachev has been cleared to return to practice this afternoon. While some had speculated it was a concussion, Brian Wilde of CTV tells us that Sergachev has actually been skating by himself all week, likely removing that possibility. Wilde believes it was a shoulder injury, which would be a much better scenario for the recent draftee. Sergachev was Montreal’s first round pick, ninth overall in the past draft and won the OHL’s Defenseman of the year in his rookie season.

Snapshots: Gagner, Saunders Tributes, Arbitration History

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Sam Gagner’s contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets is right on the money reports the Columbus Post Dispatch’s Michael Arace. Gagner, Arace writes, is a player with a perception who does not live up to his given abilities. He also says it’s not entirely fair. Coming in at cap friendly one-year, $650K deal, Arace notes that it’s a chance for Gagner to prove who he really is as a hockey player at a very low cost. Gagner believes that his “best hockey is ahead of him,” and at the price of $650K, Arace writes that the deal is “one of the best deals (Blue Jackets general manager) Jarmo Kekalainen has made.” Further, Arace indicates that Gagner worked his way back from a demotion and hung on to play meaningful playoff hockey for the Flyers. The low risk, high reward for Gagner seems to serve a purpose for both the Jackets and Gagner.

In other NHL news:

  • Scores of hockey reporters, and analysts paid their respects to the late John Saunders, who passed away earlier today at the age of 61. Saunders was known as one of the most down to earth professionals in the business of sports. Mike Tirico gave a long tribute to his former colleague while Scott Van Pelt tweeted a very heartfelt, and emotional response to the shocking news.  Linda Cohn, a longtime ESPN anchor, and hardcore hockey fan, called  Saunders “a friend” while Steve Levy tweeted that Saunders was “the most generous, charitable, caring person I knew.” Finally, ESPN included a long tribute to Saunders’ work and personality.
  • Sean McIndoe includes a very interesting piece on the history of arbitration in the NHL. While cases went to arbitration this season, none were solved by an arbitrator, instead being concluded by contract extensions between the team and player. McIndoe writes about the infamous ruling–back in the “older days” of the NHL, that involved Scott Stevens and Brendan Shanahan. McIndoe explains the previous RFA rules, where if restricted free agents were targeted, both teams would offer what they felt was proper compensation for the targeted RFA–in the way of players. As history would have it, the Devils requested then Blues captain Scott Stevens, who at the time, was already considered a premier NHL defenseman. Of course, it was granted by the arbitrator, and all hell broke loose. McIndoe goes on to tell some other great stories that include hall of fame bound Eric Lindros.

Columbus Officially Signs Sam Gagner

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The Blue Jackets have officially signed center Sam Gagner to a one year contract, the team announced.  Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the deal is worth $650K.  The signing should come as little surprise as it was reported over the weekend that Columbus was nearing a deal with the 26 year old.

Last season was the worst of Gagner’s career.  He played in 53 games with the Flyers, recording just 16 points (eight goals and eight assists) while averaging just 13:52 per game.  After clearing waivers, he spent some time with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, picking up a goal and five assists in nine games.  That marked the first minor league action for Gagner as he originally made the jump to the NHL straight out of junior.

This will be the fourth different team Gagner has suited up for in as many seasons despite spending seven seasons with Edmonton to start his career.  Overall, he has played in 615 NHL games between the Oilers, Coyotes, and Flyers, scoring 124 goals and 228 assists while playing an average of 16:56 per game.

Gagner was ranked 46th on PHR’s Top 50 UFA list.  We predicted that he would be forced to sign a cheap one year deal in the hopes of re-establishing his value but we figured he would have landed a $1MM contract.  He’ll likely battle for a bottom six roster spot with Columbus along with youngsters from their Calder Cup winning AHL team.

[Related: Blue Jackets’ Depth Chart]

With the signing, the Blue Jackets now have just over $3.8MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly.  However, that figure only factors a minimum-sized roster of 20 players so their actual amount of space to work with is lower than that.

Columbus Close To Signing Sam Gagner

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are close to signing unrestricted free agent Sam Gagner, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. It is rumored to be a one-year, one way deal.

Gagner last played for the Philadelphia Flyers where he scored 8G and 8A in 53 games. The Canadian center held much promise as a member of the Edmonton Oilers from 2007-2014, including netting eight points in one game, but never fulfilled the potential scouts thought he had.

PHR predicted that Gagner would take a one-year prove it deal yesterday after it was rumored that the Canucks were one of the teams interested in his services. It appears that the Canucks bowed out or that the Blue Jackets offered more money.

More to follow.

Snapshots: Coyotes; Gagner; Barrie

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News and notes around the NHL:

  • With the recent signings of Connor Murphy and Michael Stone, the Arizona Coyotes now have eight defensemen signed to NHL deals—and that’s not even including top draft prospect Jake Chychrun, whom the Coyotes moved up for in the 2016 NHL Draft. As Craig Morgan of AZSports writes, the backlog of NHL-ready defensemen poses both problem and prosperity for the team. It creates a logjam of defensemen and little opportunity for prospects like Chychrun to get playing time, but it also gives them expendable pieces to upgrade other areas. The Coyotes may have to look elsewhere for offensive help if they cannot re-sign RFA Tobias Rieder before the season starts. Trading from a position of strength to obtain a forward kills two birds with one stone. Take a look at Arizona’s depth chart at Roster Resource.
  • UFA Sam Gagner is close to signing a deal with an NHL team, according to his agent. Gagner last played for the Philadelphia Flyers where he scored 8G and 8A in 53 games. The Canadian center held much promise as a member of the Edmonton Oilers from 2007-2014, including netting eight points in one game, but never fulfilled the potential scouts thought he had. Gagner will probably take a one-year “prove it” deal to try and revitalize his career.
  • RFA Tyson Barrie completed his arbitration hearing today, and the arbitrator will issue her decision within 48 hours. Because Colorado offered a $4MM contract, and Barrie offered a $6MM contract, the arbitrator’s decision will most likely meet the threshold ($3.9MM) to open up Colorado’s walk-away rights. If Colorado chooses to invoke those rights, they will be stuck with the arbitrator’s decision for one year before Barrie becomes a free agent. When a team elects a two-year term decision for any player-elected salary arbitration, using walk away rights reduces the arbitrator’s decision down to one year, and then the player becomes a UFA.

 

Free Agent Profile: Sam Gagner

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The curious case of Sam Gagner began in his rookie season, when he scored a career-high in points. Yes, you read that right and yes that is very unusual. The nine-year NHL veteran, who turns only 27 next month, finds his career in a tailspin, despite being in the prime of his career. The sixth overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft broke into the league at 18 and excelled, but it has been all downhill from there.

The Edmonton Oilers were excited to select Gagner early in the first round of the ’07 draft. He was coming off a dominant season with the London Knights of the OHL, when he scored 118 points in 53 games and, along with Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn, led the Knights to a league-leading 104 regular season points. The Oilers were even more excited when Gagner made the team in his first season and went on to score 49 points, including another career-high of 36 assists. The young play maker continued to play well in Edmonton, scoring over 40 points in each of the next five seasons, and then putting up 38 points in 48 games in the lockout-shortened 2012-2013 season.

Gagner signed a three-year, $14.4MM contract the following off-season, and with it came a steep decline in production. In his final season in Edmonton, Gagner managed to score only 37 points and was a -29. The Oilers, disappointed in the drop-off under the new contract, traded Gagner to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Teddy Purcell. That same day, Gagner was dealt again, along with B.J. Crombeen, to the Arizona Coyotes for a 6th round draft pick in a salary dump by Tampa. Gagner’s production remained the same in Arizona, as he scored 41 points, but struggled defensively yet again at -28. He was traded again last summer, this time to the Philadelphia Flyers, in exchange for Nicklas Grossman and the contract of Chris Pronger. The wheels fell off completely in Philadelphia, as Gagner played in only 53 games, recording just eight goals and eight assists for 16 points, 22 points less than the 38 he had in five less games only three years prior.

Gagner now finds himself in a precarious situation. Last season was a dismal effort offensively, and the options for a player that is not defensively inclined looking to find a role with those numbers will be few. He must find a team where he would be a good fit in the top nine and that can help him get his scoring back on track.  Another down year could signal the end of a once promising career.

Potential Suitors

Gagner remains unsigned, but there have been teams that have considered the reclamation project. Gagner’s best chance to re-boot his career would be to find a team with thin forward depth, where he could work his way into a top six role, or a talented offensive team where he could fill a hole and boost his statistics. Vancouver and Ottawa have kicked the tires on the forward, while a team like Chicago or San Jose could try to squeeze him in under the cap as well.

Expected Contract

Despite his recent struggles, his offensive potential (and a thin market) has him ranked within our Top 50 NHL Free Agents list, at #46. With many of those names off of the list following the free agent frenzy on July 1st and over the past few days, Gagner’s market may be gaining steam as he is likely one of the best dozen players that remain unsigned. We have predicted that Gagner will sign a one-year, $1MM deal with the Blackhawks. Some of the younger, rebuilding teams may be interested in a multi-year deal for Gagner, but his best option would be to sign a one-year “show me” deal with a good fit and try to redeem his numbers before hitting the open market again next year.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Lightning, Vanek, Higgins

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The Blackhawks may no longer be in salary cap hell, but they are certainly thinner up front writes the Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus. With Andrew Shaw being dealt to Montreal, both Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen off to Carolina, and Andrew Ladd hitting free agency, the Hawks have a number of open spots to shore up. While Chicago can now collectively breathe under the repressive Cap that has had them selling off parts since the summer of 2010, the casualties have come in the way of losing skill players. Lazerus has the Blackhawks possibly bringing back Brian Campbell, who could carry a $2MM/yr cap hit. Meanwhile, the bottom six forwards would look very different than the pedigree most Hawks fans are accustomed to. Lazerus lists Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann as potential candidates to return, while naming P.A. Parenteau or Sam Gagner as possible options to add in free agency.

In other league news:

  • The Lightning have tendered qualifying offers to Yanni Gourde, Kristers Gudlevskis, Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov, Tye McGinn, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Nikita Nesterov tweets Erik Eriendsson. In the meantime, general manager Steve Yzerman has a number of decisions to make as the free agency window opens on Friday. Steven Stamkos is still the top priority as teams are lining up to make their pitch. But the equally intriguing angle is what to do with goaltender Ben Bishop. Entering the final year of a contract with a $5.95MM cap hit, Bishop was reportedly working on contract specifics after the Flames were given permission to do so. That was scrapped as soon as the Flames acquired Brian Elliott from the Blues.
  • Jason Brough reports that both the Canucks and Rangers may have interest in free agent Thomas Vanek. Though Vanek would be a backup plan to the higher tier free agents, namely Milan Lucic and Loui Eriksson, he could be a decent pickup at a reasonable price for both teams seeking scoring help. Vanek had 41 points (18-23) and will see a much lower offer than the three-year/$19.5MM offer he received from Minnesota, who bought him out last week.
  • Elliotte Friedman tweets that Canucks winger Chris Higgins was placed on waivers for the purposes of being bought out. According to CapFriendly, the cap hit would be $833,333 through the 2017-18 season. CBS Sports listed Higgins as one of their buyout candidates, and the Vancouver Sun reported the Canucks actively shopping Higgins back in January. Higgins had 4 points (3-1) in 33 games last season.
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