The Edmonton Oilers have placed Sam Gagner on waivers. What’s the reason behind this move?

The Edmonton Oilers announced on Tuesday that they have placed forward Sam Gagner on waivers with the intention of sending him to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. The 34-year-old has scored five goals and five assists in 27 games for the Oilers this season, adding to his career totals of 116 goals and 211 assists in 569 games with the team over three separate stints.

Gagner earned a spot on the team after a successful Professional Tryout last fall and has provided depth scoring since his memorable return to the lineup against the Dallas Stars in early November. He temporarily lost his regular spot due to an injury just before Christmas, returned for a few games in late January, and was displaced by another UFA signing, right wing Corey Perry.

Recently, Gagner has mostly served as the “13th forward,” stepping into the lineup occasionally when another forward was unavailable, as was the case on Sunday against Pittsburgh when Derek Ryan was injured. While Gagner performed well in that game, he did not register any points.

Since the start of the new year, Gagner has played in 9 of Edmonton’s 25 games, scoring just 1 point.

Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 likely explains the reason behind Gagner being placed on waivers today:

In essence, the decision to waive Gagner is more about creating cap space than any reflection on his performance. While Gagner does make the league minimum salary, the Oilers might need flexibility to accommodate additional salary in an impending trade. By waiving Gagner now, they can reassign him to Bakersfield immediately once a trade is announced later in the week, if necessary, to free up cap space. This move is contingent on Gagner clearing waivers.

It’s not impossible for another club to put in a claim for Gagner, but at this point, it seems unlikely.

Some fans might question why players like Connor Brown or Mattias Janmark weren’t waived instead. While neither Brown nor Janmark have been scoring heavily, they are known for their solid defensive play and contribute significantly to Edmonton’s penalty kill unit, unlike Gagner. The recent signing of Corey Perry, who also doesn’t contribute to the penalty kill, may have influenced the decision to waive Gagner. Currently, Perry and Dylan Holloway are the only bottom-six forwards who do not contribute to the penalty kill.

Regarding Holloway, who is still on his Entry Level Contract, he could be reassigned without needing to clear waivers. This could be done as a “paper transaction” for the 24-48 hours it would take to process a veteran waiver claim like Gagner’s.

In summary, Holloway himself may not be immune to a trade. If he is traded, the instant reassignment option for Gagner is off the table. The Oilers do not have any other active players who could be sent out without clearing waivers.

This situation is unfortunate for Sam Gagner and disappointing for Oilers fans who were hoping he would have a role in the postseason for the first time with the team. His first seven years with the Oilers were during the “Decade of Darkness,” and his second stint with the team ended at the trade deadline four years ago when he was traded for salary cap reasons. Now, he finds himself in a tough spot once again.

Assuming Gagner clears waivers on Wednesday, he will likely remain with the Oilers until a trade is made that requires his cap space to be used for another player. It’s a challenging situation for a popular veteran, but it’s the nature of the business, especially at the trade deadline.

That was a pre-waiver announcement analysis, with Gagner already identified as the “extra” forward. The waiver move confirms the reasoning behind that assessment. The bottom line is Derek Ryan is in, Sam Gagner is out, and the rest of the lineup remains unchanged, including Stuart Skinner starting in goal.