The decision to waive Gagner is a completely bizarre decision from the Oilers. All year, Gagner has been a quality contributor offensively in limited minutes while other depth forwards, like Connor Brown, Derek Ryan, and Mattias Janmark have become black holes. Last game against Pittsburgh, Gagner had a noticeably good game and logged four shots on goal. In 27 games this season, Gagner's scored 5 goals and 10 points - that's infinite more scoring than Connor Brown.
Still, the 34-year old Gagner has been a healthy scratch regularly since Corey Perry entered the lineup. Clearly, Knoblauch and the Oilers aren't thrilled with Gagner's fit into the lineup heading into the playoffs, and may make a trade to improve their bottom six.
It feels like a slap in the face for Gagner to be waived after the depth forward decided to come home to the team that drafted him for a league minimum contract. At 34 years old, if Gagner can't find a way back into the Oilers lineup past this year's trade deadline, his NHL career may be over.
POLL | ||
Should the Oilers have sent down Gagner? | ||
Yes, he doesn't fit in the lineup anymore | 184 | 28.3 % |
No, he was outperforming others | 396 | 60.9 % |
See Results | 70 | 10.8 % |
List of polls |