Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner won't participate in any preseason games as he continues to recover from offseason double-hip surgery that was performed five weeks apart. While Gagner said he feels he is ahead of schedule in his recovery, there is a chance he could start the season with Bakersfield of the American Hockey League to get up to speed. The Oilers signed the veteran to a professional tryout contract this summer after he spent the 2022-23 season with the Winnipeg Jets, tallying eight goals and 14 points across 48 contests. This marks Gagner's third stint with the Oilers after they drafted him with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Winnipeg Jets right wing Sam Gagner (hip) is set to have surgery and won't play again this season. The veteran has been troubled by a hip injury and has decided to have surgery to repair the issue. Gagner has already missed Winnipeg's last seven games, and he's also sat out a lot of time this season as a healthy scratch. The 33-year-old is forced to wrap up his 16th NHL season with only eight goals and 14 points in 48 games.
Winnipeg Jets right wing Sam Gagner is set to rejoin the lineup for Thursday's matchup against Columbus. He has been a healthy scratch for the past two games and head coach Rick Bowness has used the veteran only nine times in total since the turn of the year. Injuries helped Gagner to have a decent start to the campaign when he landed in the top six, but the frontline has now been healthy for a while and Gagner has relinquished even the little fantasy appeal he had. The 33-year-old has posted eight goals and 14 points in 43 appearances. He rejoins the action as a fourth-liner, so it's unlikely Gagner gets to add to his tally Thursday.
Winnipeg Jets right wing Sam Gagner will be back in action Friday against Columbus, rejoining the lineup after sitting out a pair of games as a healthy scratch. He was pushed out of the lineup with Morgan Barron's return from injury, but head coach Rick Bowness will put Gagner back in Friday because he doesn't want the veteran to stay out of the lineup for too long. Gagner failed to impress in a top-line role during Barron's absence and it's not been a productive campaign for him. The 33-year-old has notched only six points, with half of them coming on the power play. It's currently unknown who Gagner will be replacing, but he is not expected to play a big role.
Sam Gagner Will Likely Return Tonight Against Nashville
Detroit Red Wings forward Sam Gagner will be potentially in the lineup Thursday and replace centerman Valtteri Filppula versus Nashville. Gagner has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the last five Red Wings contests. In the year, the London, Ontario native is responsible for four goals and five helpers through 28 games. He logs close to 15:00 minutes of ice time per game, and he has tallied one game-winning goal.
Detroit Red Wings winger Sam Gagner was a hat-trick hero on Thursday night, helping the team to a 5-2 victory over Nashville. He ended up with the game-winning marker and finished off the hat trick with an empty-netter. Luke Glendening and Adam Erne also scored for the Red Wings, who suddenly look like a decent team since getting everybody back from the COVID-19 list. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect a lot from Gagner, though, as he was goalless in 13 games for the season before netting his third career hat trick on Thursday. His last hat trick came during a famous eight-point performance for Edmonton in 2012.