Oilers reunite with forward 16 years after drafting him sixth overall

Gagner, 34, was originally drafted sixth overall by the Oilers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft after a spectacular 2006-07 junior season with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, scoring 35 goals and 83 assists for 118 points.

He made the Oilers as an 18-year-old, scoring 13 goals and 36 assists for 49 points in his rookie season.

He spent his first seven seasons with the Oilers, scoring 101 goals and 194 assists for 295 points in 481 games.

In the summer of 2014, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, then an hour later, traded to the Arizona Coyotes. This led to Gagner playing with four teams in four years, dressing for the Coyotes, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Vancouver Canucks between 2014-15 and 2017-18. During that time, he scored a career-high 18 goals and 50 points with the Blue Jackets in 2016-17.

During 2018-19, after spending time with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, Gagner was re-acquired by the Oilers, scoring five goals and seven assists in 36 games. In 2019-20, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, playing only six games before the COVID-19 pandemic suspended play.

He spent the next two seasons in Detroit on one-year deals, then in 2022-23, he signed a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets, playing in his 1000th game on Dec. 29, 2022. He had eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 48 games before he required hip surgery, ending his season.

He signed a professional tryout agreement with the Oilers last August, but didn’t appear in any of the pre-season games as he continued rehabbing his hip. He would sign a one-year deal with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors on Oct. 23, playing in three games and scoring one goals and four assists for five points.