Hurricanes sign former top-10 Oilers pick to PTO

The Carolina Hurricanes fell short of the Stanley Cup in 2024. Their second-round loss to the New York Rangers certainly hurts even with the 2024-25 season drawing near. This week, Carolina’s NHL Free Agency haul grew through the professional tryout market. Carolina is taking a look at former Edmonton Oilers forward Sam Gagner.

Gagner has signed a professional tryout agreement with the Hurricanes, as reported by The Hockey News. Gagner brings a measure of experience to Carolina’s ranks. He has played parts of 17 seasons in the NHL. He has appeared in over 1000 games while suiting up for seven different teams.

Gagner’s most recent team is the same one that drafted him. The new Hurricanes forward skated in 28 games with the Oilers in 2023-24. He scored five goals and 10 points while averaging a little over 10 minutes a game for Edmonton. The London, Ontario native did not appear in the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite the Oilers having made the Stanley Cup Final.

Hurricanes’ Sam Gagner has carved out a unique career

Sam Gagner entered the NHL as a top prospect. The Oilers drafted him with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. He immediately made Oilers roster and performed well enough in his rookie campaign. The now-Hurricanes forward scored 13 goals and 49 points in 2007-08.

However, Gagner never truly made strides after that. In fact, those 49 points stand as the second-most in his entire career. He wouldn’t surpass that point total until the 2018-19 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In 2014, the Oilers decided to move on from Gagner. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Teddy Purcell. Later that same day, he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

Those trades began a run of seasons where Gagner played journeyman. From 2014-15 until 2019-20, he played for six different teams, including a second stint with the Oilers. The now-Hurrricanes forward would not find stability again until a trade to the Detroit Red Wings in 2020.

Gagner found a home in Detroit following that move. In fact, Detroit is the only team besides the Oilers in which Gagner played more than 100 games for. He eventually left the Red Wings following the 2021-22 season. Gagner spent one season with the Winnipeg Jets before returning to the Oilers this past season.

Gagner now hopes to continue his career with the Hurricanes. It will certainly be interesting to see if his experience helps him land a job in Carolina this upcoming season. The Hurricanes begin their 2024-25 campaign with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 11.

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