Headed to Edmonton: Some Coyotes return home

Sam Gagner

Nov 2, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Sam Gagner (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the third period at Verizon Center. The Coyotes won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Drafted by Edmonton 6th overall, 2007 NHL Entry Draft

Gagner was the beginning of the end for Edmonton, in my humble opinion. He was the first of a slew of fast, score-savvy offensive first-rounders to be selected by the franchise; as a result, the bottleneck on offense seemed to stifle his development (and creativity, also in my humble opinion) and he got traded away to Arizona via Tampa Bay.

During his time with Edmonton, though, don’t think that Gagner didn’t leave a mark. He had a few streaks of pure brilliance that kept him at the top of everyone’s ‘Guys to Watch’ lists, even when he wasn’t scoring the numbers of goals everyone had hoped he would.

One would think that his teammates would most fondly remember him as That Guy Who Recorded Eight Points Against the Amazing Chicago Blackhawks That One Time, but I think differently. His teammates knew him inside and out.

Or, maybe they just knew how incapable he was of picking up after himself.

*spoiler alert: if you don’t care that much about the bad roommate habits of the 2009-2010 Edmonton Oilers, Gagner’s shining moment starts at 5:58*