Is Simon Gagne the Next Cap Casualty?

At thirty-years-old, Simon Gagne may find himself on a new team. Gagne never laced them up for a team without orange and black colors but could be on his way out since he makes the third highest total on the team and could want a raise from that.

Furthermore, his UFA status and age could force GM Paul Holmgren’s hand into moving the veteran and fan favorite.

With Gagne, the question was never his ability but his ability to stay healthy. Never in his career has he played a full 82 games, and he hasn’t hit 80 since 2003-2004. Last season he managed only 58 games and failed to reach the 20 goal plateau for only the third time in his career.

There is no doubt he somewhat regressed from his earlier days but the playoffs proved he has a good amount left in the tank. He easily can put across 35 goals a year if he stays healthy and has done so on good and bad Flyers teams.

His rumored destination would be Los Angeles, which makes sense should they lose out on the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. If he plays with superstar Anze Kopitar there should be no loss in actual value but Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider shot down those rumors.

Unlike the Flyers team Gagne rarely shows the nastier side of his game and could be expendable because of it.