Sam Gagner Giving Columbus Blue Jackets Bang For Their Buck
After a Four-Point Performance Against the Arizona Coyotes, Sam Gagner Is Exceeding Expectations. The Columbus Blue Jackets Signed the Forward In the Offseason On a One-Year, $650,000 Contract. For Others Signed At Similar Rates, Gagner Is Proving the Blue Jackets Made a Wise Choice.
To say Sam Gagner’s performance with the Philadelphia Flyers last season was bad would be an understatement. The forward only appeared in 53 games, recording eight goals and 16 points before spending the rest of the season toiling away in the minors.
At the age of 26, going on 27, Gagner had the possibility of a bounce back to his consistent 40 point range from past seasons. To say the Blue Jackets jumped on the chance for such a low-risk-high-reward signing in Gagner would also be an understatement.
Sam Gagner’s Performance: Then Vs. Now
Gagner has already outperformed his point total from last year with 10 goals and 17 assists so far for the Blue Jackets. He is also sitting at a plus-minus of +8, which puts him in the top five for plus-minus on the team. Not only has Gagner exceeded his point total, but he has done so in almost half the games.
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Gagner has suited up in 23 games and has averaged 13:37 time on ice per night so far this season. An interesting fact is that over 53 games played with the Flyers, Gagner averaged around 20 seconds more ice-time per night.
The Blue Jacket powerplay, which has been the best in the NHL at 24.6%, has received a boost from Gagner’s presence. He currently has three power play goals for the Jackets, along with four power play assists.
Arizona Rivalry Brewing?
Maybe there is something about the Arizona Coyotes that doesn’t sit well with the Blue Jackets. On Dec. 3, the Blue Jackets peppered the Coyotes with 60 shots-on-goal and came away with a win.
The strange thing is that it took a shootout to seal the deal; Coyotes goalie Mike Smith was fantastic for a team that played poorly in front of him. Gagner recorded a tad over 15 minutes of ice-time in the game but no points on the night. The next game the Coyotes and Blue Jackets faced off was on Dec. 5 and told a different story. This time, Gagner showed up to show the Coyotes what he can do.
In almost three and a half minutes less ice-time that game, Gagner recorded two goals and two assists. The Blue Jackets would win the game, 4-1, therefore Gagner was involved in each goal the Blue Jackets scored.
Looking From The Big Picture
Gagner has far away been the best bang-for-your-buck player this season. Other forwards that have a comparable contract would be Rangers forward Josh Jooris, Bruins forward Riley Nash, and Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman.
Jooris has 1-1-2 in 26 games played this season for the price of $600,000. Nash has gone 1-3-4 in 26 games played at a cap hit of $900,000. Hyman has gone 3-5-8 in 24 games played at a cap hit of $925,000. Gagner has more points than all three of these players combined and has one of the lowest cap hits in the NHL to go with it.
Not only is Gagner above the players that he is closest to by salary, he’s also tied with Rangers forward Rick Nash for points. Also tied with Gagner for points in the NHL are Leafs forward Nazem Kadri and Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal. Hence, this proves how good of a deal the Blue Jackets received by signing Gagner when they did.
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Gagner has been a steal for the Blue Jackets. While it’s impossible to say that everything will continue to go right, Gagner seems revitalized and ready.
Under the usage of coach John Tortorella, Gagner looks prepared to continue his success and continue to flourish.