After 17 seasons in the NHL, Sam Gagner has announced his retirement from professional hockey. The former sixth-overall pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft called it a career after racking up 197 goals and 332 assists, good for 529 points, for seven different NHL franchises. Although Gagner didn’t have an NHL send-off, playing for the AHL Belleville Senators for his final year, he still had a decent NHL career. Here is a retrospective on Gagner’s time in the NHL.
News on Gagner and the Ottawa Senators
On the day his playing career officially ends, and still within the Ottawa Senators organization, Gagner begins a new journey. Today, he was named director of player development for the Sens.
Sam Gagner’s Career in the NHL
Despite Gagner bouncing around the league towards the end of his career, he will always be remembered for his time with the Edmonton Oilers . The Oilers drafted him sixth overall back in 2007, and he spent the first seven years of his career there. He made his NHL debut on October 1, 2007, and was the youngest player in the NHL. During his first game, he notched his first point on an assist and recorded his first goal on October 20th. His rookie year was his best season, points-wise, tallying 49 points on 13 goals and 36 assists. While Edmonton traded him during the 2014 offseason to the Arizona Coyotes, Gagner returned to the Oilers twice in his career. In his ten years with the Oilers, he registered 116 goals and 211 assists for 327 points.
Despite spending seven straight seasons in Edmonton, Gagner struggled to stay in one place after he was traded in 2014. He only spent one season in Arizona before being traded again. After that, he was a member of the Flyers, Blue Jackets, Jets, and Canucks. However, he would not last more than two seasons with any of those clubs. The most games he played were 81, which he did with the Cancuks, Blue Jackets, and Coyotes.
However, he did find some consistency towards the end of his career with the Detroit Red Wings. The team acquired him at the 2020 NHL trade deadline. He spent the next two and a half seasons playing 129 games. He was a fixture in the bottom six, chalking up 21 goals and 29 assists for 47 points. Although Garner did not have the flashiest NHL career, he still has a career worth remembering.
Main Photo Credit: Neville E. Guard – USA TODAY Sports
The post After 1,000 Plus NHL Games Sam Gagner Calls it a Career appeared first on Last Word On Hockey .