Gagner, Sutter audition for Oil

Similar to the Bruins, the Oilers have questions at center, leading to their decision to extend professional tryout (PTO) invites to Sam Gagner and Brandon Sutter, a couple of right-shot pivots with Alberta connections.

If Gagner survives the cut, it will be his third tour with the Oilers. He was drafted No. 6 overall by Edmonton in 2007 and made the varsity right out of OHL London, where he centered a supercharged trio with Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn on his wings (combined 394 points).

Sutter is the son of ex-Islanders standout Brent Sutter and was selected No. 11 by Carolina in the same draft. He’s bigger (6 feet 3 inches, 190 pounds) than Gagner (5-11, 200), but Gagner has proven more nimble, productive, and durable over his career (1,015 games and 519 points).

The Sutter clan, which delivered six brothers to the NHL, including ex-Bruins coach Brian Sutter, grew up in Viking, Alberta, roughly 80 miles outside of Edmonton. Brandon Sutter sat out the last two seasons, slow to recover from a severe case of COVID-19 he contracted in his last of six seasons with the Canucks.

Entering the weekend, the Oilers were among the 13 teams still over the $83.5 million salary cap. If one or both are successful with their auditions, Sutter and/or Gagner can only be brought aboard if GM Ken Holland gets creative with the cap math.

Keep in mind: Teams and players enter PTOs with the understanding that the auditions aren’t necessarily team-specific. The players will be scouted by other clubs and can be offered deals elsewhere, with the agreement typically allowing the host club right of first refusal.

“Yes, that’s sometimes forgotten,” said Alex Chiasson, the former BU winger who recently agreed to come to Bruins camp on a PTO. “For me, I’ve always come on the PTO, wherever I went, my goal was to make that team. I chose to go there to make that team. But at the end of the day, you are showcasing yourself to the whole league. There can be injuries, or teams that don’t like their lineup late in training camp. So it’s an opportunity for a player to say, ‘Hey, maybe there’s a fit there or a fit with another team.’

“But for me, going in, my main goal is to crack the Bruins’ lineup. I am not really looking to go somewhere else.”