Jerome Miron – USA TODAY Sports
The Edmonton Oilers missed the playoff this season despite having one of the best collections of young scoring talent in the league. Rookie Nail Yakupov came on strong at the end of the season to finish with a team-leading 17 goals, while Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall put up decent numbers in the abbreviated season. Around the April trade deadline, one of the strongest rumors in Edmonton was that Sam Gagner might be shipped away. Nothing ever materialized for the young center, who ended up finishing second on the team in scoring while playing in every game for the Oilers. He will be a free agent this summer, and while his price tag likely went up a bit this year, the Oilers should strongly consider keeping him in the fold.
Gagner may have six years of NHL experience, but he is only 23 years old. As the Oilers continue to watch their young talent work its way into the lineup, Gagner could actually be a valuable veteran leader to help with that process. His offensive output in 48 games this season was on pace to be better than anything he has ever done in a full season, showing that he might finally be ready to live up to the potential he flashed in the OHL as a member of the London Knights.
The Oilers saw some of their upper management change after the season ended, which could be good news for Gagner. New general manager Craig MacTavish has given some indication that he is interested in keeping Gagner around, and could have a deal in place in the next few weeks. After that, there is no question the Oilers need to address their issues on defense and in net.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
