Today the Toronto Maple Leafs made a minor trade:
.@SportChek Player Alert: The @MapleLeafs have acquired forward Gabriel Gagne from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Morgan Klimchuk.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 11, 2019
Details >> https://t.co/55ascKrdl2#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/fCwhxppvVz
So, who is Gabriel Gagne? Well, he’s a 6’5” winger, drafted 36th overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2015, and is in his third professional season in the Senators organization.
Gabriel Gagne stats
| Season | Team | League | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Victoriaville Tigres | QMJHL | 67 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 14 |
| 2014-15 | Victoriaville Tigres | QMJHL | 67 | 35 | 24 | 59 | 39 |
| 2015-16 | Victoriaville Tigres “A” | QMJHL | 8 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
| 2015-16 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 34 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 14 |
| 2016-17 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 41 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| 2016-17 | Wichita Thunder | ECHL | 19 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 |
| 2017-18 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 68 | 20 | 5 | 25 | 45 |
| 2018-19 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 33 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 |
He’s never been an offensive powerhouse, coming close to a point per game in his draft year, but that was his peak in the QMJHL. Last season, he was a regular second-line winger, a volume shooter, and was the Baby Sens representative in the 2018 AHL All-Star Game. This season, he’s been spending all his time on the fourth line, and his shotrate and goal stats have dropped along with his ice time.
According to scouting blog scouching.com, we’re looking at a younger, slightly better version of Morgan Klimchuk. Klimchuk was acquired from the Calgary Flames earlier this season in exchange for Andrew Nielsen, who was moved because the Marlies had too many defenders. Klimchuk had two goals in 17 games on the Marlies, his only points. He also spent three games suspended shortly after his arrival:
Related
Marlies Morgan Klimchuk suspended for 3 games
Gagne was #16 on Silver Seven Sens top 25 under 25 this summer, and they had this to say about him:
One aspect of Gagné’s game that you can’t knock is his release. He easily has the best shot of any Belleville Senator to date (small sample size, I know) and you can see why he scored 20 goals in 2017-18.
If he can learn to use his size properly, improve his skating and continue filling the net in the AHL, there could very well be a regular spot in the lineup for Gagné in the nation’s capital. The question of whether that’s in the top six or not will be answered in the next few seasons. My guess is his ceiling is on the third line with some powerplay time, but we’ll just have to wait and see. I know Gagné will be a player I’ll be watching even more closely this year.
This is a Marlies move for the time being. I wouldn’t expect Gagne to be on any call up lists. He has this season to try out for a new contract as he’s an RFA this summer.
Get to know our newest, tallest, Marlie with his highlights:
