Sam Gagner signed a deal worth $9.45 million dollars with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1, 2017. He was signed to help out the power play, which is where he scored a vast majority of the 50 points he tallied with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2016-17 season.
The 2017 free agent signing was made to fill the gap between the time when players like Nikolay Goldobin were actually ready to play at the NHL level. Goldobin looked ready out of training camp just a season after the signing.