Gagne has missed the last two contests with an upper-body injury, but has not been ruled out for an extended absence.

In his rookie pro campaign, Gagne has been able to lock down a regular role with the AHL Eagles while putting up some peripheral stats. His nine points in 26 games is as much as can be expected from a big shut-down defenceman, and he’s putting pucks on net. His 29 PIM are slightly boosted by one misconduct and one fight (which was ok but not a forte), so hit totals will be critical for potentially becoming a stream-able fantasy bruiser. There have been times where he is too slow or not as strong when engaged as you would expect for a 225lb man, but the most import thing is that he’s getting regular minutes and PK time which are the first steps to carving out a role substantial enough to be worthy of future call-ups.

Colorado has signed Gagne to a two-year ELC. The 23-year-old was originally a sixth-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2021 and recently completed his Senior year with the University of New Hampshire, where he has served as Captain for two seasons. At 6-05 and 225 lbs, the large blueliner will be steered into a shutdown role as a pro and is expected to spend most of the upcoming 2025-26 campaign in the ECHL. His 17 points in 35 contests signals a modicum of offensive upside, and he does tally more SOG (83) than you would expect for his profile, but based on his highest outputs this season his primary fantasy value will come in the form of blocked shots (he had 62) and PIMs (he had 46). The Eagles do historically love a shot-blocking d-man so some time with AHL Colorado is possible, but don’t expect any NHL fantasy relevance for at least 2-3 years even if things go well.