NHL Insider links veteran UFA forward to the Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have a much different look, particularly in the bottom 6 next season following Jason Spezza's retirement, as well as the contracts of Pierre Engvall, Ilya Mikheyev, Colin Blackwell and Ondrej Kase expiring this summer.
While I'd fully expect that one or two of those players will be back in Toronto next season, the Buds will still need a couple of additional bodies to help fill out depth roster spots. We know that GM Kyle Dubas believes that the team has some players down with the Marlies in the AHL who he believes can graduate to the NHL next season, but we will likely still see some new faces from outside of the organization come in to fill some vacancies.
Per TSN's Pierre LeBrun, one of those players may be Sam Gagner, who has spent the last 3 seasons as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. While Gagner has never played with the Leafs, he is familiar with the organization, after the Vancouver Canucks loaned Gagner to the Toronto Marlies back in 2018-19. Gagner played 43 games for the Marlies that season, tallying 12 goals and 37 points before being recalled by the Canucks and finishing his season with 7 games with the big club.
Gagner, soon to be 33, is very close with Leafs captain John Tavares. That's no secret, as they purchased the Toronto Marlboros just over a year ago, a local AAA hockey team within the GTHL whom both had pre-existing ties with.
Gagner actually put together a pretty decent season in Detroit last year, suiting up in 81 games and racking up 13 goals and 31 points in that span. A fairly productive player at the NHL level, Gagner has amassed 505 points in 967 career NHL games. The London, ON native is a bit of a journeyman, having played for the Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings over a 15-year NHL career.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 8 | 528 ANSWERS NHL Insider links veteran UFA forward to the Leafs Will the Leafs sign Sam Gagner this summer? | ||
| Yes | 179 | 33.9 % |
| No | 269 | 50.9 % |
| Not sure he plays regularly if they do | 80 | 15.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
