You couldn’t blame Sam Gagner for feeling like he was never really wanted by the Philadelphia Flyers. He came to the Flyers in an offseason salary dump, with the Flyers ridding themselves of Chris Pronger’s contract and Nicklas Grossmann. Taking back a contract such as Gagner was just the price of doing business.
There was immediate talk of a buyout after the trade. Ultimately, the Flyers elected to keep Gagner on the roster, but that didn’t translate to a lineup spot when the season began. For much of the first half of the season, Gagner saw only sporadic playing time.