Sam Gagner was in Vancouver on Wednesday for the Canucks to wine and dine him during this week’s free agent courting period. The Canucks are not the only team interested in the 27-year-old forward, but Vancouver does make some sense as a potential destination.
To get into why the Canucks might want to sign Gagner, let’s look at the pros and cons.
Pro: Gagner scored 50 points this past season for the Columbus Blue Jackets and has been a consistent 40+ point scorer in his career.
Con: He’s just a season removed from scoring a paltry 16 points in 60 games for the Philadelphia Flyers. Which result do you think is more likely on the Canucks?
Con: He was sheltered in Columbus, playing minimal minutes at even-strength, and gifted big minutes on the power play.
Pro: He was really bloody good in those limited minutes at even-strength. And have you seen the Canucks power play? Gagner is a right-hand shot with a proven ability to put up power play points. Adding Gagner would immediately give the power play more options to work with.
Con: He played fourth-line ice time at even-strength and the Canucks simply don’t need another fourth-line guy.
Pro: But he scored at a first-line rate: his 1.95 points per 60 minutes was good for 76th among NHL forwards.
Con: The Canucks already have Brandon Sutter.
Pro: I really don’t understand this objection. Gagner is a significantly different player from Sutter in almost every aspect. Signing Gagner would not mean replacing Sutter. Gagner can play at centre or on the wing, can be a power play specialist from a sheltered role on the third or fourth line, or step into a second-line role if need be. None of that entails replacing Sutter. And even if it did, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Con: Gagner is atrocious defensively. His defensive impact at even-strength, according to Goals Above Replacement, was 14th worst in the NHL last season at -3.1.
Pro: He makes up for it in the offensive zone and on the power play. Playing him with some steady linemates or sheltering him with a couple scorers could mitigate his defensive deficiencies.
Con: Gagner signed a one-year, $650,000 contract with the Blue Jackets last year, but likely won’t be anywhere near as cheap this year after a 50-point season.
Pro: Cap hit shouldn’t be a concern for the Canucks, as long as they don’t get too crazy, as they are not in any sort of cap trouble. Term is the question: the Canucks need to avoid tying themselves down to long-term deals that complicate re-signing their young players in the future.
Pro: His name literally means “to win” in French. Perfect for the Canucks attempts to develop a winning culture.
Con: Do the Canucks really want to win next season? Isn’t it time to start Fallin’ for Dahlin? The Canucks shouldn’t be signing free agents in an attempt to win now.
Pro: Signing Gagner wouldn’t be a “win now” move, per se, but would provide a bridge to the Canucks’ young, still-developing prospects. This may be the Sedins final season in Vancouver, which would make the Canucks incredibly thin down the middle. Adding Gagner on a two to three year contract would give a prospect like Elias Pettersson a little more time to develop.
Con: He’ll take a roster spot that should go to a young Canucks prospect.
Pro: Don’t think of Gagner as taking a roster spot away from a prospect; think of him as taking a roster spot away from Michael Chaput or Jayson Megna.
Con: Gagner's face looked really gross after Zack Kassian broke his jaw. If he signs with the Canucks, there's a very good chance that they will show a picture of Gagner's gross face on TV every time they play the Oilers.
Pro: But just think of the glorious cognitive dissonance as Oilers fans cheer for Kassian, who they once wanted to charge with assault for breaking Gagner's jaw, and boo Gagner. It would be beautiful. Just like Gagner. On the inside.
