Dave Gagner

[GlitchMarner]

I saw him when he played for TOR toward the end of his career but didn't follow him when he was with Minnestota/Dallas. He seemed like a skilled player with the Leafs but didn't play for them very long.

The guy put up more than 30 goals and over 70 points five years in a row from 1989 to 1993 and received the odd Selke vote during that time. Obviously scoring was higher back then, but those are still good numbers for the time. He later put up 20 and 27 goal seasons and 48 and 60 point seasons in the dead puck era.

I wanted to ask about him since no one ever talks about the guy. Was he basically just an Andrew Brunette or maybe Cory Stillman level player or was he ever considered more than merely a good first liner?

 

[TomP24684]

I feel like I remember the Canucks’ management playing him up like he was a crucial piece of the deal sending Pavel Bure to Florida when everyone knew he was nothing close to that by that time.

 

[ShelbyZ]

I feel like I remember the Canucks’ management playing him up like he was a crucial piece of the deal sending Pavel Bure to Florida when everyone knew he was nothing close to that by that time.

I remember it that way too. Same thing with his signing in Florida, where IIRC they paid him a decent chunk of change to be finally be their answer as a top line center next to Ray Sheppard. He was also supposed to be a replacement for Brian Skrudland, but with skill. They eventually left him unprotected in the '98 expansion draft a year later...

Brutal add for the Canucks in the Bure deal. Just looking at the numbers, 34YO Gagner had no goals, 1 assist and was -7 in his last 15 games as a Panther before he went to Vancouver. The Canucks ended up buying out the last year of his contract and he quietly retired. I think he had some business interests outside of hockey and was sick of moving his kids around after 5 address changes in 6 years.

 

[Voight]

I remember it that way too. Same thing with his signing in Florida, where IIRC they paid him a decent chunk of change to be finally be their answer as a top line center next to Ray Sheppard. He was also supposed to be a replacement for Brian Skrudland, but with skill. They eventually left him unprotected in the '98 expansion draft a year later...

Brutal add for the Canucks in the Bure deal. Just looking at the numbers, 34YO Gagner had no goals, 1 assist and was -7 in his last 15 games as a Panther before he went to Vancouver. The Canucks ended up buying out the last year of his contract and he quietly retired. I think he had some business interests outside of hockey and was sick of moving his kids around after 5 address changes in 6 years.

Yea he settled in Oakville, Ontario and started a company that made rinks, permanent and portable. Sam Gagner ended up becoming best friends with Tavares and IIRC Dave coached them. Also was a part owner of a Junior A team.

Eventually got into coaching, player devlopment etc.

 

[tony d]

Had a solid career especially during his time with the Stars franchise. He was part of the Bure deal and had 14 points in 33 games for the Canucks in 1998-1999.

 

[Staniowski]

I especially remember him when he played in Minnesota in late '80s and early '90s. A very good all-around player. He put up a lot of points when Minnesota went to the finals in '91.

I notice that he played mostly in the AHL during his NYR years in his early 20s. I'm not sure what was going on there, but he seemed to play well as soon as he was traded to the North Stars. So, he didn't really become a regular until he was 23 years old.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

as i recall from reading a profile on him in the early 90s, he was a floaty skill guy who in minnesota figured out he had to apply himself physically if he ever wanted to do anything in the league. and did he ever.

gagner was one of three young rangers who ended up in minnesota in the late 80s in separate deals, along with tinordi (traded for brian lawton) and dahlen (for mike gartner). looking back, that might have been a good young rangers core to build around leetch. they also traded mike ridley (for bobby carpenter), kjell samuelsson (for bob froese), and eventually sandstrom and granato (for bernie nicholls).

 

[FerrisRox]

I remember it that way too. Same thing with his signing in Florida, where IIRC they paid him a decent chunk of change to be finally be their answer as a top line center next to Ray Sheppard.

Wasn't a very big contract. He signed a three year $6.9 million contract with the Panthers. He retired with one year remaining on the deal.

 

[ShelbyZ]

Wasn't a very big contract. He signed a three year $6.9 million contract with the Panthers. He retired with one year remaining on the deal.

I guess I thought $2.3M was big money back in the day...

He was actually bought of the last year of that deal somewhere around the start of free agency, and then announced his retirement a few days before the next season started.

 

[Passchendaele]

I remember reading scouts saying Sam was a better skater than his dad in his draft year.

Meaning Dave must've been an awful skater.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I remember reading scouts saying Sam was a better skater than his dad in his draft year.

Meaning Dave must've been an awful skater.

oh man, we had two second-generation canucks who didn't have an ounce of the grit and competitiveness of their elders. and of the two, sam gagner was lent to toronto's farm team and eventually traded for cap dump ryan spooner and still he was the less disappointing one.

i mean can you even believe this bullspit?

Rich Sutter	Age	Tm	Lg	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
1986-87	23	VAN	NHL	74	20	22	42	-17	113
1987-88	24	VAN	NHL	80	15	15	30	-4	165
1988-89	25	VAN	NHL	75	17	15	32	3	122
1989-90	26	VAN	NHL	62	9	9	18	-1	133
4 yrs		VAN	NHL	291	61	61	122	-19	533

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TFOOT] [/TFOOT]

Brandon S	Age	Tm	Lg	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
2015-16	26	VAN	NHL	20	5	4	9	3	2
2016-17	27	VAN	NHL	81	17	17	34	-20	12
2017-18	28	VAN	NHL	61	11	15	26	8	8
2018-19	29	VAN	NHL	26	4	2	6	-12	6
4 yrs		VAN	NHL	188	37	38	75	-21	28

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TFOOT] [/TFOOT]

how are you even a sutter?

 

[sr edler]

At least one of them got some PIMs.