You must have forgotten that he was a 3rd line winger to start last year. Fact is he hasn't consistently had good linemates since London. Cogs and Nilsson? Are you kidding me? OR how about Penner and Cogs LOL.
He's gonna be between Hemsky and Hall or Yakupov and Hall or Hall and Eberle or etc etc etc.
If he plays 80+ games and doesn't score 60 points I'll be absolutely floored.
In that case say hi to your new second line centre:
Well, signing Gagner for a year and not trading him now gives Tambellini a year to address that or for one of the prospects in the system to maybe overachieve and take that spot. Maybe Gagner gets involved in a package deal for a better center especially if he has a good season and increases his value.
This signing of a year bides Tambellini some time to fill that need eventually.
Well, signing Gagner for a year and not trading him now gives Tambellini a year to address that or for one of the prospects in the system to maybe overachieve and take that spot.Maybe Gagner gets involved in a package deal for a better center especially if he has a good season and increases his value.
yes, let's hope he emerges as a legit 2C so we can trade him and get a legit 2C.
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This signing of a year bides Tambellini some time to fill that need eventually.
My point is, if Gagner takes a step forward, then 2C isn't really a "need" is it?
They should have signed him to a 4 or 5 yr deal like Perron or Oshie. This will cost the team more in the long run (unless they don't have him as part of the long term plan).
Good, no long term commitment and it takes him back to RFA after the one year.
I don't think that now is a good time to trade him anyway since his numbers and value should spike up a bit this season with even more talent surrounding him.
If he can't surpass the 50 pt plateau this season (if there is a season) then there truly is no hope for him.
I think it's a win for both the Oilers and Gagner.
i'm pretty happy with it.
Katz will match anything on the kids, mark it down.
Katz is the new Ballard. He'll decide everything on profit. I don't think Katz would care what crap is on the ice if he makes money on it.
he'd take the picks and continue to sell deluded fans on a crappy team with an good future.
They should have signed him to a 4 or 5 yr deal like Perron or Oshie. This will cost the team more in the long run (unless they don't have him as part of the long term plan).
I think Perron and Oshie are viewed as apart of their respective teams' cores. Gagner is a nice complementary player for us, but our forward core is RNH, Eberle, Hall & Yak. This is a perfect deal for us IMO. With both Eberle & Hall needing contracts next year, we address them first, and then see what's left over for our complimentary players. If that means Gagner is re-signed great, if not, not the end of the world.
Katz is the new Ballard. He'll decide everything on profit. I don't think Katz would care what crap is on the ice if he makes money on it.
he'd take the picks and continue to sell deluded fans on a crappy team with an good future.
yes, let's hope he emerges as a legit 2C so we can trade him and get a legit 2C.
Gagner will never fit on this team long term because even if he gets 60+ pts, he doesn't excel at any other aspect of his game and he will likely always get owned against bigger, stronger centers. The team will never compete for anything meaningful with 2 smallish, offensive minded centers in their top 6.
It will never work if the team ever makes the playoffs and the idea is to build a cup contender one day, isn't it?
Gagner will never fit on this team long term because even if he gets 60+ pts, he doesn't excel at any other aspect of his game and he will likely always get owned against bigger, stronger centers. The team will never compete for anything meaningful with 2 smallish, offensive minded centers in their top 6.
It will never work if the team ever makes the playoffs and the idea is to build a cup contender one day, isn't it?
Ah, the old "magic formula" argument. Or do you simply think we need the perfect player in every position?
Gagner will never fit on this team long term because even if he gets 60+ pts, he doesn't excel at any other aspect of his game.
I don't think one gets 60 points in this league if you don't excel at any other aspect of the game. A 60 point season, BTW, would place Gagner in the top 20 or so in scoring among centres: not exactly chicken feed.
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The team will never compete for anything meaningful with 2 smallish, offensive minded centers in their top 6.
Good term for Oilers and $$ for Gagner. This year he has to prove his worth for sure.
Here's a "what if" though:
What if they try Hall at C?
What if Hall exeeds expectations at C?
What if Hall turns out to be a much better centerman than Gagner is?
If the above happens this year, as Hall has been at times speculated to try the center position, it may not put Gags in as good of a position for both a trade or for a new contract.
If Hall isn't tried at center this year, there are is a whole other range of good that can happen for Gagner.
Good, no long term commitment and it takes him back to RFA after the one year.
I don't think that now is a good time to trade him anyway since his numbers and value should spike up a bit this season with even more talent surrounding him.
If he can't surpass the 50 pt plateau this season (if there is a season) then there truly is no hope for him.
I've been a Gagner defender for a long time, but I kind of agree with you here. He's getting to the point where he needs to break out and develop some consistency.
Ah, the old "magic formula" argument. Or do you simply think we need the perfect player in every position?
It's called common sense. Strength down the middle is almost mandatory in the NHL and that is perhaps the Oilers biggest weakness and likely always will be until the little guy is dealt. Is Gagner all of a sudden going to morph into a strong 2 way center who will line up against the tough matchups and succeed? I would say that is highly unlikely.
If the Oilers had somebody like Getzlaf at center then Gagner would be a fit but on a team filled with top 6 skill and little grit, changes will have to be made if the team is to take the next step.
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Originally Posted by Moose Coleman
I don't think one gets 60 points in this league if you don't excel at any other aspect of the game. A 60 point season, BTW, would place Gagner in the top 20 or so in scoring among centres: not exactly chicken feed.
It's not about points, it's about his weakness in other areas. Gagner gets schooled against tougher competition and he is a 5 year veteran now. Outside of his out of this world hot streak, he plays well against teams like Columbus and Colorado who aren't big, strong teams and struggles against most other teams. His offense which is supposed to be a strength is wildly inconsistent and this is with very skilled players surrounding and him getting plenty of PP time.
If the Oilers had a center like Getzlaf to shelter him, i could see a place for him long term but that's simply not the case. It's just a matter of him being a bad fit for this particular team.
I like it. No reason to give him a long-term deal at this point of his career. Puts us in a decent position to trade him or sign him again (even if he does breakout, which is far from guaranteed).
Good term for Oilers and $$ for Gagner. This year he has to prove his worth for sure.
Here's a "what if" though:
What if they try Hall at C?
What if Hall exeeds expectations at C?
What if Hall turns out to be a much better centerman than Gagner is?
If the above happens this year, as Hall has been at times speculated to try the center position, it may not put Gags in as good of a position for both a trade or for a new contract.
If Hall isn't tried at center this year, there are is a whole other range of good that can happen for Gagner.
This is his big test.
I don't think that Hall will be used at center this year unless our other centers crap the bed. He has said he's open to playing center, but that he would really want to know over the summer going into the season so he can properly prepare. With his shoulder surgery, I don't think that he would have adequate preparation time at all.
Shouldn't Katz have just brought Bunz in and saved himself 3 million? Or does his cheapness only extend to forwards?
Bunz is a solid prospect, but he isn't close to NHL ready. We won't see him in the NHL for at least two more years. He won't even be in the AHL this year, and rightfully so. Not many goalies can be effective at a young age in the NHL. I am a huge Bunz fan, but he's no Carey Price or Cam Ward, he needs some development time.
and the 3.5 million a year DD is getting. (In my opinion that's a stupid contract)
It's not that bad. Dubnyk played very well in the last half of the season and earned a raise. I was expecting 2.5 - 3.0 for him, at worst its 1 million overpayed, with the potential to be a steal of a contract if Dubnyk keeps developing.
