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Jaromir Jagr’s agent courting NHL teams; Another negotiating ploy with KHL?

Jaromir Jagr (C) of Czech Republic celeb

Jaromir Jagr (C) of Czech Republic celebrates his goal during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Quarterfinal match between the Czech Republic and USA, in Bratislava, on May 11, 2011. AFP PHOTO/SAMUEL KUBANI (Photo credit should read SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

Ever since Jaromir Jagr left the NHL for the KHL, many fans of his have felt like they’re missing out on the end of a truly great NHL career. With Jagr playing with Avangard Omsk in Russia and still producing even at age 39, the former NHL legend is on the prowl for a new job.

While Jagr’s experience the last few seasons have all been in the KHL, his play in the Olympics and at the IIHF World Championships the last two years has kept people curious about whether or not he might try and play one more year or two in the NHL. Those hopes and dreams might have some traction now.

According to reports out of Detroit, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland has been approached by Jagr’s agent Petr Svoboda and while the Wings aren’t the only team he’s reached out to (the Rangers, Canadiens, and Capitals are there too), Red Wings GM Ken Holland is the only guy saying remotely anything about Jagr.

The Red Wings didn’t call Jagr. His agent, Petr Svoboda, called them. But Red Wings general manager Ken Holland has had several conversations with Svoboda, and coach Mike Babcock has spoken to Jagr.

Svoboda reportedly contacted Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers, two of Jagr’s former teams, as well as Montreal.

But Jagr would prefer to play in Detroit for the chance to play with highly skilled players Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and, if he returns, Nicklas Lidstrom.

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Holland declined comment, except to acknowledge that his club has been contacted and is exploring the possibility.


The idea that a 39 year-old, turning 40 in February, Jagr wants to take one more run at a Stanley Cup in the NHL with a team like Detroit makes the mind boggle. The Wings aren’t ones to back down from veteran interest as they took on Mike Modano last season in his efforts to latch on to a potential Cup winning team.

Jagr’s skill set isn’t what it used to be from what we remember from his years with the Penguins and Capitals. Hell, Jagr isn’t quite the same guy he was with the Rangers even four years ago, but what he’s shown in international competition is that he could still be a useful weapon on the power play and a guy who could contribute well with third line type of minutes.

Before we get ahead of ourselves drawing up the possibility of seeing a legend like Jagr giving it one more go in the NHL, you have to wonder if perhaps this is one last effort by Svoboda to get a KHL team to bite and offer him a juicier deal. Yahoo’s Dmitry Chesnokov finds out that his old team Avangard Omsk is the only one Jagr is negotiating with in Russia. If Jagr is worried about how he might hold up over the 82 game haul in the NHL season and if he’s got the thought of the hit he took in the 2010 Olympics from Alexander Ovechkin stuck in his head for what it’s like to play at that level every night, being more open about discussing things with the NHL would be a good way to scare Avangard into giving him a juicier deal. After all, if there’s no local competition for him there, why not hold the NHL up and out there as a means to scare his team into action.

The KHL hates losing any amount of talent to the NHL, especially guys who once starred in the NHL, so Svoboda’s open hunt to land Jagr an apparent job in the NHL might just be transparent enough for all of us to see what’s going on. Of course, if we put our cynicism away for a little while and embrace this for what it looks to be, waxing nostaligic and hopeful for Jagr’s return makes for a lot of fun. He was one of the most brilliant scorers of his time and the best player in the NHL for a long stretch of time. The thought of trotting him out on the same ice with Datsyuk and Zetterberg is tantalizing, let’s just hope we’re not being toyed with one last time.