It’s been such a long offseason for Sam Gagner, he broke it up into three offseasons.
Between the second and third offseasons — after the resumption of the playoffs, but before the plans for next season have been rolled out — the pending free agent got some business done. Gagner, 31, inked a one-year deal worth $850 thousand to return to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Gagner was acquired by the Red Wings from the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 24 alongside two second-round picks (2020, 2021) in exchange for forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner. He scored one goal over six games before the pandemic halted Detroit’s season on March 12.