NHL SALARY ARBITRATION BETWEEN: SAM GAGNER – AND – THE EDMONTON OILERS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF THE EDMONTON OILERS Team 14 Salary Arbitration Between The Edmonton Oilers and Sam Gagner Introduction1 In accordance to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA set out in Article 12, Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers has elected to pursue salary arbitration to determine his compensation for the 2012-13 season. In response to this request for arbitration, it is the Edmonton Oilers position that Sam ought to be compensated $3,000,000 for the upcoming season. Based on Sam’s performance throughout his career, his platform year, and as measured against those players which he is comparable, $3,000,000 is fair for a player possessing the statistics and attributes of Sam. 1) An Overview of Sam Gagner’s Career Exhibit 1 - Sam Gagner’s Career Regular Season Statistics with the Edmonton Oilers Season GP G A Pts Pts/G +/- TOI/G PIM GWG 2011-12 75 18 29 47 0.63 5 17:11 36 0 2010-11 68 15 27 42 0.62 -17 17:45 37 2 2009-10 68 15 26 41 0.60 -8 16:17 33 1 2008-09 76 16 25 41 0.54 -1 16:46 51 1 2007-08 79 13 36 49 0.62 -21 15:41 23 1 NHL Totals 366 77 143 220 0.60 -42 16:43 180 5 Sam Gagner is a 5’10, 190 lbs forward with the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers selected Sam in the first round, sixth overall in the 2006 NHL entry draft. In his final OHL season with the London Knights (2006-07), Sam scored a very impressive 35 goals and 83 assists for 118 points in 53 games, displaying remarkable offensive upside. Sam 1 All statistics used, unless otherwise noted, are obtained from www.nhl.com 1 began his NHL career with the Oilers in 2007 accumulating 13 goals, 36 assists and 49 points over 79 games played during an impressive rookie season. In the following four seasons, Sam has yet to reach his rookie mark of 49 points despite being given ample offensive opportunity. In the 2008-09 season, Sam averaged over one minute more of ice time per game, but saw his points per game slide from 0.62 to 0.54. Over the next three seasons, including his platform year, Sam’s ice-time rose to over 17 minutes per game, while his offensive output has remained almost constant. Given Sam’s experience in the league, and his increased opportunity to succeed, Sam’s inability to surpass his rookie totals after five years must be considered when awarding compensation. a) Playoff Experience Sam has yet to experience a playoff game at the NHL level, an important consideration when awarding compensation. b) Durability Exhibit 2 - Sam Gagner’s Injury Record2 Year Injury Games Missed 2011-2012 Back 1 2011-2012 Sprained Ankle 6 2010-2011 Hand (Surgery) 14* 2009-2010 Hip 9* 2000-2010 Left Knee 4 2008-2009 Lower Body 1 2008-2009 Ankle 3 2008-2009 Concussion 2 2008-2209 Undisclosed 1 Total 41 *Ended Season on Injured Reserve List 2 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=6052 2 At the age of 22, Sam has already experienced a concerning number of injuries. This calls into question his durability and ability to finish an entire NHL season. The durability of a player should be taken into account when awarding compensation. 2) Platform Year – 2011-12 a) Disappointing Offensive Output During Platform Year Exhibit 3 - Sam Gagner’s 2011-12 Regular Season GP G A Pts Pts/G TOI/G GWG PPG PPA 75 18 29 47 0.63 17:11 0 6 6 Sam’s offensive output during his platform season was marked by inconsistency. Sam’s up and down season is highlighted during his February 2nd and 4th games against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings where he produced 11 points in two games. This accounted for nearly one quarter (23%) of his total point production. He followed that stretch by collecting only seven points over the next 23 games to close out the season. Although Sam was a high draft pick due to his offensive attributes, he has yet to reach his expected potential. Given his time on ice, in addition to his four years of experience, Sam’s platform year was not the breakout year that both himself and the Oilers were hoping for. Sam was unable to reach the 20-goal plateau for the fifth straight year, nor was he able to eclipse the 50-point plateau. Furthermore, Sam has yet to demonstrate an ability to step up during important times within a game. Sam failed to record a single game-winning goal this season, and has only recorded five game winning goals over his career. 3 b) Lack of Versatility/Utilization Exhibit 4 - Sam Gagner’s 2011-12 Regular Season Hits Blocks PIM Face Off % TOI/G PPTOI/G SHTOI/G %Tm* 21 23 36 47.6% 17:11 2:27 0:02 16.8 * %Tm = Percentage of team’s face-offs taken Sam’s expected role with the team was an offensive producer, and the club’s assessment of his performance in this regard has been outlined above. This, however, is even more troublesome given that Sam is not considered a two-way center. Sam is not a versatile or physical forward. A versatile player is one which produces and is used offensively, defensively, and on special teams, and brings the intangibles to the game. If Sam was a more complete player his offensive stats would be less concerning. As evident Sam is not used by his coaches in all situations. Although he is given the offensive opportunity, receiving over two minutes of power play time per game, Sam is not used on the penalty kill. His 17:11 time on ice per game is ranked seventh among Oiler forwards. As a centreman, Sam is not used for important face-offs. Sam took only 16.8% of the teams face-offs, which ranks him fourth amongst the Oilers’ centres. Sam’s 23 blocked shots rank him ninth on the team. Sam has not yet developed the tools of a complete player, which has been reflected in his utilization by his coaches. c) Physicality Sam is not a very physical player. His 21 hits throughout his platform year calculates to only 0.28 hits per game. Moreover, his 36 penalty minutes are tied for 4 seventh with Taylor Hall among Oiler forwards. Sam had two fighting majors last year to go along with four more over the previous 4 seasons. 3) Searching for Comparable Players The most critical tool in the arbitration process, which allows arbitrators to best assess the worth of a player, is the use of comparable players and their recently signed contracts. Recently negotiated contracts provide the best evidence of the current NHL marketplace, thus where there are players available within two years for comparison, contracts sign beyond two years past will not be considered. Players who have filed for arbitration over the past 2 years Sam’s path to the NHL is somewhat unique in that he started his career at 18 years of age but he has not become a superstar. This makes it difficult to find players who are similar in age with the same level of experience and similar statistical results. In order to find comparable players, we searched for any forwards who have filed for arbitration over the past two seasons who have had a similar platform year in terms of points per game. We considered players with 0.59-0.68 points per game. This left us considering the following players: Blake Comeau, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Teddy Purcell. All players are similar in age. Exhibit 5 - Sam Gagner & Comparable Players Platform Year and Contract Comparison3 Player GP Pts Pts/G PY AAV* Contract Length Sam Gagner 75 47 0.63 2011-12 $3,000,000** 1 year Blake Comeau 77 46 0.60 2010-11 $2,500,000 1 year Sergei Kostitsyn 77 50 0.65 2010-11 $2,500,000 1 year Teddy Purcell 81 51 0.63 2010-11 $2,363,500 2 years * Average Annual Value (or Actual Salary for Contracts of 1 year in length) ** AAV/Actual Salary requested by the Edmonton Oilers over the 2012-13 season 3 http://capgeek.com 5 a) Comparable Player: Blake Comeau Blake Comeau filed for arbitration in 2011, following his platform year in 2010-11. An arbitration hearing was avoided and he was awarded a one year, $2,500,000 contract from the New York Islanders. Blake was 25 years old at the time. Exhibit 6 - Sam Gagner VS Blake Comeau Career* Comparison Player GP G A Pts Pts/G +/- PIM/G Sam Gagner 366 77 143 220 0.60 -42 0.48 Blake Comeau 248 56 65 121 0.49 -35 0.55 * Career up until platform year (2010-11 for Comeau) Exhibit 7 – Sam Gagner VS Blake Comeau Platform Year Comparison Player GP G A Pts Pts/G TOI/g PPMin/G SHMin/G PIM/G Sam Gagner 75 18 29 47 0.63 17:10 2:27 0:02 0.34 Blake Comeau 77 24 22 46 0.60 18.41 2:30 2:15 0.56 In their platform years, Sam and Blake were only separated by one point. Blake was able to eclipse the 20-goal plateau, a feat that Sam has yet to realize.