We learned on Monday that a couple Jacket free agents; Kyle Quincey and Sam Gagner will be testing free agency this summer.
This makes sense as the Jackets really don’t have room for Quincey, and Gagner will be looking for a big payday and an increased role after his career year.
Gagner is going to be an interesting player to follow this off-season. He came to the Blue Jackets on a show me one-year deal, coming off of the worst season of his career. The Jackets recognized Gagner’s strengths and weaknesses and put him in the best position to succeed. They limited his defensive responsibilities at 5 on 5, but knew he had plenty of skill so inserted him on the top power play unit. Gagner thrived in this role, rewarding the Jackets investment by rebounding and having the best season of his career. He played in 81 games and finished fifth on the team with 50 points, the first time he has hit the half century mark.
Gagner is going to want a significant raise on the $650,000 (salary from
Cap Friendly) he made this season. At 27 years old this is his best and likely last chance to get a large free agent pay-day. I would imagine he would want something along of the lines of the deal he got from the Oilers a few seasons back, where he signed for 3yrs at $4.8M per.
For a 40-50 point player, $4.5-5M is market value. If Gagner wants to return to the Jackets and play on the fourth line and top power play unit then I am sure the team will bring him back. A problem arises if he wants an expanded role or even a top six role. The Jackets are not going to have much turnover on the roster at all; they can’t offer a large role to Gagner or any potential free agent. The Jackets really need to be looking for the next Sam Gagner, a player they can bring in for pennies on the dollar and put him in the best situation to succeed.
This is where Vegas comes into play. Gagner is a player that Vegas could find very interesting. Gagner is still only 27 so he is young enough to be a part of what Vegas is trying to build. He’s a former sixth overall pick and was once one of the top prospects in hockey. He's been a consistent 40 point player and great on the power play. Vegas has money to spend and could offer Gagner a large role on the team, perhaps as a top six option.
George McPhee
has been quoted as saying “Money’s not a problem.” Vegas is going to try and make a splash this off-season and you have to think they will try and do something during their window when they have exclusive rights to talk to any free agent. From that article linked, Vegas will have a 72 hour window from June 18-20 to negotiate and sign and unrestricted or restricted free agents not protected by their team. The Jackets will not be protecting Sam Gagner so he will be free to negotiate with Vegas during that time.
The Golden Knights will certainly take a run at some of the big free agents like a Kevin Shattenkirk, a Joe Thornton or a Ben Bishop but I have a hard time seeing any of the big names signing, without first seeing what offers are out there from the other 30 teams in the league. Vegas does not want to squander this opportunity and if they don’t get a big name signed I’d imagine they would move onto the second tier of free agents like Gagner.
If Vegas comes to Gagner with good offer of dollars and term Gagner doesn’t have much incentive to wait and try to get something better from another team. He sat out there in free agency for a long while last off-season; you would think he would want to avoid that this year. We have also seen in recent years that players who turn down initial offers in seek of more money don’t always get the better deals they are looking for. Cody Franson and Kris Russell come to mind. If Vegas throws a large offer at Gagner he would be foolish to turn it down.
If Vegas signs Gagner (or any free agent) during that 72 hour window, the team losing the free agent will not have anyone taken in the expansion draft. If Gagner does sign with Vegas, the Jackets would not lose anyone in the expansion draft, this would save them from losing a Jack Johnson, William Karlsson, Josh Anderson or Joonas Korpisalo.
The Golden Knights have plenty of options here. Do they take the certainty of Gagner, or risk that another better player will be available from Columbus? I think the opportunity cost of signing Gagner is worth it for Vegas. They get a player who’s been in the league a long time but also someone still on the right side of 30. Gagner would help the Vegas power play and Vegas can offer him an expanded role at 5 on 5. I think there could be a fit here, which would be great news for the Jackets, as it would allow them to keep some of their interesting younger players.
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