PTO: [EDM] F Sam Gagner signs PTO with the Oilers

[krutovsdonut]

he has a never say die attitude that is for sure. the way things went bad for him and to bounce back with the jackets, and then again to have things go bad with the canucks, but to come back and play for another 5 seasons is quite the statement.

plus, he has stuck it out for over 1000 nhl regular season games and seen just 11 playoff games. 14 of 16 seasons he has missed the playoffs and usually by a mile. that's dedication. the two times he made the playoffs his team was gone in 5 and 6.

he's surely a contender for having cumulatively played for the worst teams during a long career. not sure how you quantify it, but show me a guy with over 1000 games on worse teams. i think his team has only broken 90 points three times in his career.

and still going.

 

[yzerman]

He will audition for the back up role on the zamboni driving team.

 

[94 Oil Drops]

Now sign Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn.

Watching both Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner finishing off their careers on the same team would be pretty neat, especially if they get a cup.

 

[BudBundy]

How do you figure several years? He literally took over 300 faceoffs the season before last?

His face off percentage in the last three years are 46%, 47% and 30%. I will grant he took quite a few faceoffs in Detroit, but almost none on a slightly deeper Winnipeg team. Bottom line: He is clearly not a 3rd or 4th line center. I don’t understand why you’re pushing this so hard, beyond liking the player for non-hockey reasons or for nostalgia. I love Sam as a human, but he is clearly a small, slow, complimentary winger at this point in his career and has been for quite some time. We are not lacking for a player like that. He is clearly not a guy who can fill the important 4C job on a Cup-calibre team. I wish like Hell he was! We could sign a great guy for cheap and good old Samwise could maybe win a cup with us. Would be a great story! But it’s not something he is capable of doing anymore, so other than for the “feel good” aspect of it, re really shouldn’t be on the team.

 

[The Nuge]

His face off percentage in the last three years are 46%, 47% and 30%. I will grant he took quite a few faceoffs in Detroit, but almost none on a slightly deeper Winnipeg team. Bottom line: He is clearly not a 3rd or 4th line center. I don’t understand why you’re pushing this so hard, beyond liking the player for non-hockey reasons or for nostalgia. I love Sam as a human, but he is clearly a small, slow, complimentary winger at this point in his career and has been for quite some time. We are not lacking for a player like that. He is clearly not a guy who can fill the important 4C job on a Cup-calibre team. I wish like Hell he was! We could sign a great guy for cheap and good old Samwise could maybe win a cup with us. Would be a great story! But it’s not something he is capable of doing anymore, so other than for the “feel good” aspect of it, re really shouldn’t be on the team.

Pushing it so hard? I made a single post saying he still has some positive attributes to offer and another debunking your claim that he hasn’t played center in “several years”.

It’s not clear at all that he can’t be a bottom 6 center. He’s a pretty similar caliber player to Derek Ryan, minus the faceoff ability. I don’t see the issue with bringing him in as depth who could win a 12/13th forward role and fill in at 4C if Ryan or McLeod get hurt

 

[Seanaconda]

Pushing it so hard? I made a single post saying he still has some positive attributes to offer and another debunking your claim that he hasn’t played center in “several years”.

It’s not clear at all that he can’t be a bottom 6 center. He’s a pretty similar caliber player to Derek Ryan, minus the faceoff ability. I don’t see the issue with bringing him in as depth who could win a 12/13th forward role and fill in at 4C if Ryan or McLeod get hurt

Get someone else to take faceoffs if he is decent at other parts of center. If he is a winger and wins a spot that's fine too. Guy has been making it work with basically no physical +s as a bottom 6er for a long time. Just on hockey iq.

Lol yeah he has good hands too but that doesn't matter much when you're slow and small

Oh BTW I'm just agreeing with you

Edit also with woodcroft he will play short forwards lots of the time and you'll have drai or McDavid able to take the faceoffs.

 

[bucks_oil]

He’s played 6th most games for his draft class so it kinda seems like they were in the range. 9th in the points.

Not to mention that at 6th overall there have been PLENTY of guys who didn't last in the league 1000 games nor put up >500 points in that time.

Have we all forgotten that 40 points/year consistently is a solid 2nd liner? Getting a guy that can do that for 15 years at #6 overall is a solid (albeit not spectacular) win in any GMs books.

 

[BudBundy]

Pushing it so hard? I made a single post saying he still has some positive attributes to offer and another debunking your claim that he hasn’t played center in “several years”.

It’s not clear at all that he can’t be a bottom 6 center. He’s a pretty similar caliber player to Derek Ryan, minus the faceoff ability. I don’t see the issue with bringing him in as depth who could win a 12/13th forward role and fill in at 4C if Ryan or McLeod get hurt

Sam doesn’t have any of the attributes we want in a bottom 6 center. Simple as that. If you think he wouldn’t get caved in playing that role for us, I don’t know what to tell you. Sure he plays center, but he’s currently most effective as a complimentary winger. I don’t think we need that player type. Whatever. Agree to disagree.