Gagner addition could be win-win
AHL champions get a top-line forward with something to prove
John Tavares reached out to his childhood friend Sam Gagner when Gagner got the shocking word that not only had he cleared waivers but that the Vancouver Canucks were sending the 11-year veteran to the minors.
In a fortuitous turn of events, the Canucks loaned Gagner to the Toronto Marlies — where he can be closer to family and friends — rather than send him to their top farm team in Utica, N.Y. That’s where Tavares came in. “He offered up a room for me,” said the 29-year-old Gagner, a veteran of 770 NHL games. “There are a lot of guys around the league, friends of mine, that have reached out.
“It’s nice to have that support. It gives you a bit of confidence when players around the league feel you can play at that level.”
Gagner — in the middle of a three-year, $9.45-million contract with the Canucks — is not sure what to make of his sudden change of circumstances.
“I was surprised by it. I thought, based on my camp, and how I played the past 11 years, I felt like I had done enough to earn a job,” said Gagner, the son of former Leaf Dave Gagner. “I think you just learn to expect anything in this business.”
Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe is certainly glad to have him as the Marlies begin defence of their Calder Cup championship on Friday night — ironically enough in Utica.
“It’s a nice addition for us,” Keefe said Thursday after Gagner’s first practice with the Marlies. “It will take time for him to get comfortable, and get acclimated to the American Hockey League. But it’s nice to able to a veteran of his ability.”
The Marlies’ roster is barely recognizable from the one that hoisted the Calder Cup in June. Captain Ben Smith has moved on, as has top centre Miro Aaltonen. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, plucked goaltender Garret Sparks, defencemen Travis Dermott, Justin Holl and Martin Marincin, and forwards Frederik Gauthier and Andreas Johnsson.
“It’s a thrill for those guys,” Keefe said. “As much as winning is wonderful, ultimately our job here is to develop players for the Maple Leafs, so to have guys step in and play and be part of that team this year is nice to see.
“When you have guys that advance, you’ve lost people. And a lot of times when they advance, they’re very important people you’ve lost. So we have to ask a bit more from those are returning, and take some time to implement the new guys.”
That’s where Gagner comes in. A sixth-overall pick of the Oilers in 2007, Gagner never quite lived up to his billing in Edmonton and has gone from team to team — Arizona, Philadelphia, Columbus and Vancouver — over the last four seasons. He has spent all of nine games in the minors — with Lehigh Valley in 2015-16.
“To get a chance to come here and just play, I’m excited about it,” Gagner said. “It’s an opportunity for me to prove I can play at a high level, get some swagger to my game, and go from there.
“It’s a good situation to play hockey here. The coaching staff is great. Won the Calder Cup. It’s an opportunity for me to come in and help this team win some games, and work on my game, and try to get better.”
The Canucks retain his rights. They can call him up or trade him. And while the Marlies’ job is to develop Leafs, Keefe said he has the green light to use Gagner as he sees fit. He immediately placed him on the top line with Carl Grundstrom and Chris Mueller.
This kind of demotion is a bit of a kick to the gut, said forward Colin Greening. It happened to him twice — once after three seasons with Ottawa, and again when the Leafs cut him after camp in 2016.
“It takes a little adjustment, it bruises the ego,” Greening said. “You get accustomed to playing in the NHL, then essentially you’re told you’re not good enough to play there. That’s where you have to be mentally strong. You have to appreciate that you’re still playing hockey, that it’s still the same game.
“For someone like Sam, he has a good attitude so far. That bodes well for him.”
“I know I have a lot of game left,” Gagner said. “This is a chance for me to go out and prove it. That’s the only way I know how to handle it.”