Obscure former Boston Bruins: Simon Gagne

As with any NHL franchise, roster turnover is very common and expected frequently. The Boston Bruins are no different, having gone through plenty of players, some who have played big roles, such as the Brad Marchand’s, Patrice Bergeron’s, and Zdeno Chara’s of the world.

But there are even more who have had smaller roles. That’s the point of this latest series. We’ll be highlighting some obscure former members of the Boston Bruins throughout the years, and we’ll start off with Simon Gagne.

Gagne was originally chosen by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 22nd overall pick in the 1998 NHL Draft as a native of Ste. Foy, Quebec. He debuted with 80 games in the 1999-2000 season, scoring 20 goals and adding 28 assists and averaged 14:59 of ice time in his rookie year, garnering a spot on the all-rookie team that season.

He stayed with the Flyers all the way until the 2010-2011 season, the last year of a five year contract he signed with the Flyers. He played with the Tampa Bay Lightning that season, putting up 17 goals and 23 assists over 63 games in his only season with the Lightning.

He then signed a two year, $7 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings prior to the 2011-2012 season, mustering only seven goals and 15 assists before dealt back to the Flyers to end the second year of that deal.

Then came his tenure with the Bruins. He signed a one year, $600,000 deal with Peter Chiarelli, the predecessor to Don Sweeney as Bruins GM. He played just 23 games in a Bruins uniform, scoring three goals and adding one assist over an average of 11:18 of ice time. All of his offensive production came at even strength, with one of his goals being a game-winner.

Gagne’s Bruins tenure was cut short when his father passed away in December 2014. In January of 2015, it was announced that Gagne would not return to the Bruins that season, and his contract was terminated a few weeks later.

Ultimately, the Bruins would be the last team Gagne played for. He retired in September of 2015, ending a 14 year NHL career with four different teams. Over 10 1/2 years with the Flyers, Gagne had 264 of his 291 career goals and 271 of his 310 career assists.