The question I get most from readers both on Hockeybuzz and CSNPhilly.com is, "what's up with Simon Gagne?"

Having watched him from his first training camp in Peterborough under Roger Neilson in which Gagne did not make the big club, till now, a decade later, his career has been a roller coaster of good and bad, unevenly wrapped around serious injuries: groin, abdomen, shoulder, concussions, hernia, etc.

I spoke one-on-one this afternoon with Gagne after another two-hour practice and off-ice session.

He admitted to two things: first, he is sorely lacking confidence on the ice and feeling normal, from an injury standpoint.

Second, and more telling, he told me that the goal he scored against NJ in overtime on Feb. 10 made him believe - for the first time _ that he was capable of doing things with the puck he used to be able to do prior to injuries years ago.

Gagne doesn't often open up, but I felt that he was blunt honest with me about his own fears on the ice that have held him back this season. The good news? He thinks he can be the player he once was. He has a one quarter left in the season to make it happen.

Here's my story on CSNPhilly.com:

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