Officially, the Edmonton Oilers have another week or so before deciding whether to keep rookie Sam Gagner on their NHL roster. But coach Craig MacTavish implied Saturday that the decision had been mostly made already – and that there would have to be a radical reversal in fortune in the next few days for the Oilers to send Gagner back to his junior team, the London Knights. And this was before Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames, in which Gagner scored the first goal of his NHL career, to go with the four assists he picked up in his first six games.
"There will be a point of no return and we’ve probably reached that point already," MacTavish said. "The way he’s played and what he’s contributed so far, there’s every reason to expect him to stay here."
Gagner was the Oilers’ first choice, sixth overall, in the 2007 entry draft and was a medium-to-long shot to make the team out of training camp. But he played exceptionally well for Canada in the junior Summit Series against the Russians and carried that over right into camp.
Even now, as the pace of play picks up, MacTavish doesn’t think Gagner looks out of place. Former Oilers’ assistant coach Craig Simpson, who was at Saturday’s game for Hockey Night In Canada, suggested there was a night-and-day difference between breaking in as an 18-year-old when he began – two decades ago – and now. According to Simpson, there is far more teaching now than there once was.It also helps that in the new, post-lockout NHL, there is far less hooking and holding than there once was.
It was a sentiment that MacTavish seconded.
"That’s a good generalization for smaller guys and maybe younger guys too," MacTavish said. "He’s gotten to play in the league that rewards hockey sense and he’s got an abundance of that. He’s been a pretty consistent performer for us in the six games he’s played so far. I don’t see him being out of place at all at this level. He’s just gong to continue to get better. He’s on the puck all the time. He’s got a high degree of intellect in terms of how he fights the battles. He’s really capable of analyzing what he’s up against in a battle and able to offset that through agility and puck savvy."
