NHL Trade Speculation: 8 Teams That Could Use Sam Gagner

Over the last month, numerous trade rumours have surrounded Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers. It all started with reports from the Buffalo News and the New York Post suggesting that Gagner might be on the move. Since then, the former first-round pick has continued to struggle offensively. He was even moved to the wing a couple of weeks ago which has only caused the trade rumours to heat up even more.

Will the Oilers actually deal Gagner? It’s hard to say. There are convincing arguments both for and against a possible trade.

On one hand, Gagner’s market value right now is low due to the fact that he hasn’t scored a goal and has just six assists so far this season. Why trade a young forward that can still blossom into a major offensive threat when you might not get anything decent in return? The Oilers are also winning at the moment, so why bother messing with the roster?

On the other hand, the Oilers have lost Cam Barker to an ankle injury until at least February and their defence isn't very deep to begin with. Why not flip a solid young asset who isn’t contributing much right now for a defenseman that addresses the most glaring issue on the team?

These are questions that only GM Steve Tambellini can answer. Regardless of whether or not he is shopping Gagner, there are certainly numerous teams that could use the 22-year-old forward.

Let’s take a look at eight teams that could particularly use the help of Sam Gagner.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils and the St. Louis Blues were the two earliest rumoured teams to be interested in Gagner (reports linked in introduction). However, while St. Louis has plenty of depth at up front, New Jersey is a different story.

Injuries to Devils centers Travis Zajac and Jacob Josefson have left the team thin down the middle and even when those players return, they could still use some help in their top-six or even their top-nine forward positions.

At the risk of coming across as one of those sports-talk radio call-in guys, a possible swap of Gagner for Devils blue line prospect Alexander Urbom and a draft pick might be a possibility when you consider the Oilers defensive needs.

Montreal Canadiens

Considering Scott Gomez has been next to useless this season for the Canadiens, it’s a safe assumption that they could use a center.

That doesn’t mean there’s not some talented forwards playing in Montreal, but Tomas Plekanec is the only center that’s producing right now.

Gagner would provide some much needed offense for the Habs, assuming he picks it up on the score sheet, and Montreal could be willing to part with one of their defensemen to make the deal work as they have depth in that area.

Phoenix Coyotes

You were probably living under a rock for the last six weeks if you didn’t know about the trade rumours surrounding Kyle Turris of the Phoenix Coyotes. Even now that he’s finally ended his contract holdout and signed a new deal, that hasn’t stopped the rumours.

Perhaps Gagner would be a good fit to replace Turris after he leaves the desert, whenever that may be. I’m not necessarily suggesting the two players could be dealt for each other, but they’re both good young centers with a fairly high ceiling, so it’s possible that one could replace the other rather nicely.

Aside from the obvious comparison to Turris, the Coyotes have been a team that’s lacked firepower recently and they’d surely welcome the addition of a player like Sam Gagner.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators appeared to be the team that was coveting Kyle Turris the most during his contract stalemate, so it would make sense for them to try to make a deal for Gagner if they can’t lure the young Coyotes center out of Arizona.

Furthermore, the Senators are a team that desperately needs another center who can produce some points, especially on their second line. After Jason Spezza, there’s not a lot to look forward to in Canada’s capital at the center position.

Even though Sam Gagner doesn’t have a goal this season, he’d be welcomed to the Senators organization and perhaps a new team could help bump his early-season slump.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are going through a dreadfully tough time right now. They have just four regulation wins in their last 20 games and are third from the bottom in the entire NHL in goals. Needless to say, they could use another offensive threat.

A trade to Anaheim could re-unite Gagner with his former Oilers teammate, Andrew Cogliano. It could also help the Ducks' lack of offensive depth—right now, there isn’t much for them to rely on after Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne. Clearly they could use the help of a player like Sam Gagner.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Speaking of teams that aren’t scoring many goals and aren’t winning many games, say hello to the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’ve scored just one more goal than Anaheim to date and have the worst record in the entire NHL.

Even though the Blue Jackets have a great young center in Ryan Johansen and a high-priced sniper in Jeff Carter centering the top line, they can still use all the help they can get up front. Carter is more than capable of playing the wing and so is Gagner, so finding a spot for the young Oiler wouldn't be a problem for the Jackets.

Besides, when you’re struggling as much as Columbus is right now, you shouldn’t be opposed to multi-player trades that shake things up in a big way. Granted, the Oilers might not be a willing partner for such a drastic deal but if the price is right then it would be hard for them to say no.

Dallas Stars

The Stars have been a pleasant surprise through the first two months of the season but it might be unrealistic to think they’ll remain this hot as we move forward in the 2011-12 season.

After all, even the biggest Stars optimist can’t expect players like Eric Nystrom and Radek Dvorak to continue scoring goals and putting up points at their current pace.

With that being said, it might be a good idea for Dallas to snatch up a young forward like Gagner now rather than waiting until the team comes crashing down to earth in a couple of months. With Gagner’s versatility, you could put him on a line with Jamie Benn and have Head Coach Glen Gulutzan figure out who should play which position.

Toronto Maple Leafs

We know Brian Burke isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a substantial trade, even when his team is winning. There has also been rumblings about Gagner being traded for Leafs defenseman Cody Franson, although no one really knows the legitimacy of those rumours. Certainly Franson isn’t being utilized in Toronto like he was in Nashville, so that deal might not be far off considering the Oilers need to add another d-man.

Toronto may be pretty deep at center, but Gagner has proven he can play the wing and that’s an area the Leafs could dearly use him in. After Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul and Clarke MacArthur, it thins out fairly quickly and Gagner would address that issue nicely.

At the end of the day, there are plenty of teams that could use the services of a player like Sam Gagner. They’re just hoping to get a good deal for the 22-year-old while his stock is low and before he hopefully starts racking up some more points.

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