Is it time to take Sam Gagner off the market?
Gagner has 10 point in his last 13 games and is really beginning to show a lot of chemistry with Nail Yakukov and David Perron. His cap-hit, his biggest negative, is a product of the fact that he would have been the youngest ever unrestricted free agent in NHL history and pacing for a career-high in points before a preseason injury derailed him completely. Now, a few weeks after taking off the cage that protected his jaw he is finally looking like the player we saw last season. Should the Oil take this upswing in play to maximize return in a trade or sit tight and keep him in Blue-and-Orange?
The Oilers still need a defenseman (or two) who can push the current group down in the order and that is the problem that general manager Craig MacTavish faces right now.
The Oilers finally have the productive second line center they thought they were getting when they extended Gagner, but that just may be the cost of a defender who can play beside Justin Schultz. So the Oilers are in a bit of a pickle right now.
One of the factors that might change the team’s mind in regards to trading Sam Gagner is the play of Martin Marincin. This is a player who started the year in the AHL and if he was still there now then Gagner might already have been moved to get a blue-liner to fill the left defensemen spot on the roster.
However, Marincin has been playing unbelievable hockey for a 21-year-old NHL rookie and it could be enough to lessen the urgency with which change needs to happen.
The 6-foot-5 Marincin has found a partner in Jeff Petry and the two together have looked very good. Petry has taken a lot of heat this year (and deservedly so) for his inconsistent play but most understand that this is a player who has been for forced to play above his head. Finding him someone who could fit in with him has been an issue, and one that could ultimately cost the Oilers a valuable asset.
The Oilers had Petry with Oiler-turned-Flame Ladislav Smid but that that pairing only managed a 44% Corsi share, they tried him with Andrew Ference but that was still just a 45% share, they even tried Nick Schultz for a short period of time but the results were a disastrous 38% share. Those individuals made up the most experienced Defenders the team had but Petry was still struggling.
Then they tried Marincin.
Martin Marincin and Jeff Petry, when together, have a Corsi share of 55%. Now the pairing is still in its infancy, they have only played 181 minutes of even strength hockey together, but the results speak for themselves. This is a duo that is spending more time creating offensive opportunities than they do giving them up.
Take also into consideration that Marincin starts his shifts in the defensive zone more often than every other regular defenseman (37%).
Compare that with 30.5% for Ference, for example. This is a young man who for all intents and purposes has been thrown to the wolves but is succeeding despite it. He is deployed against quality opposition, in his own end, and with not even 20 games of NHL experience but is somehow pushing the river in the right direction. So now the Oilers may have found an answer to at least one of their problems on D, but there are obviously still so many holes on this club that something has to give. Still, as of today it looks like they have a productive second line center and a competent left defensemen who fits in well with Petry.
Hopefully that means the Oil can be more patient in the trade market with Gagner, even if that only means waiting until the Draft when more teams are capable of acquiring Gagner and his Cap Hit.
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