Sam Gagner

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.