The Edmonton Oilers have traded Sam Gagner to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Teddy Purcell. The move was inevitable for Gagner who had fallen out of favor in Edmonton due to his inability to become a decent second line centre.
With the trade the Oilers bring in a solid possession player in Purcell, who is 300k cheaper ($4.8M/year versus $4.5M) and is 6'3 and over 200 lbs. He is much more phyiscally capable, and for a small Oiler team, adding size was imperative. Purcell's best season came in 2011-12, and since then he has take a step back points wise.
For Tampa Bay Sam Gagner is a small skilled forward who has struggled to establish himself as a capable Centre in the NHL. However, Gagner could be a great fit on the wing for Tampa as he is very skilled with the puck and has playmaking abilities.
| Player | GP | G | A | P | CF% | CF% Rel | ZS% |
| Sam Gagner | 67 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 44.2% | +0.0% | 55.1% |
| Teddy Purcell | 81 | 12 | 30 | 42 | 53.6% | +3.5% | 55.6% |
The stats don't lie here, Gagner is a better offensive option but struggled mighily possession wise despite a positive zone start percentage. Watching him all season long and since he joined the league, it became evident that he was incapable of being truly effective defensively. He was exposed continually in the defensive zone, and didn't appear to make any strides in this regard. It doesn't help that he was a small player, on a small team. The Oilers were never going to succeed with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Sam Gagner as their top two centres.
The drafting of the big German centre Leon Draisaitl in this years NHL Entry draft was the proverbial writing on the wall for Gagner. For Tampa, if Gagner is placed in a position of lower defensive responsibilty, and given lots of power play time, he can be an effective palyer. He is not short on heart, effort or playmaking abilities. The fit in Edmonton just didn't make sense, but in Tampa Bay with a fresh start Gagner could be a very effective member.
The Oilers address an area of need with this trade by adding a big bodies winger with the ability to contribute offensively. Purcell is older than Gagner, but he plays the wing, and brings a different style of hockey to a team that has a plethora of small skilled forwards.
Purcell has been dominant possession wise for many seasons and shook loose in Tampa because of the rising young players in their system. In Edmonton Purcell will get plenty of opportunity to play second line minutes, and should fit in on the power play as a big body presence in front of the net. With the first line all sorted out, this addition and the drafting of Draisaitl(assuming he sticks in the NHL, which would likely be a mistake) gives the Oilers a completely revamped second line of Perron-Draisaitl-Purcell. This will allow the Oilers to better shelter Yakupov and give him more time to build up his confidence and develop at a more appropriate level.
This is a solid move for the Oilers as Gagner had lost his way and the favor of the fans and was not the second line centre this team needed him to be. It could also work out very well for Tampa Bay if they put Gagner in a position with less defensive responsibility.