All week leading up to July 1, we’ll be profiling unrestricted free agents and speculating where they might end up.
Jaromir Jagr (RW)
Age: 40
2011-12 cap hit: $3.3 million
The skinny: After leaving the NHL for the KHL in 2009, Jagr returned to North America last season and fit in nicely with the high-scoring Flyers, tallying 19G-35A-54PTS in 73 games.
But as the year progressed, some red flags started to emerge. A nagging groin injury cost him a handful of games, and after scoring 34 points in 40 games prior to the All-Star break, he scored just 20 in 33 to finish the year.
That set the stage for a somewhat sour ending. After the Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs, Jagr expressed frustration at his ice time under head coach Peter Laviolette and wouldn’t publicly commit to re-signing in Philadelphia.
As such, many figure his time in Philly is done.
So who might be in the mix?
The Flames are rumored as a potential suitor, due in part to signing Jagr’s ex-KHL running mate Roman Cervenka. Detroit might be interested given GM Ken Holland’s history of signing veteran skill guys in free agency (think Brian Rafalski, Marian Hossa, Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull, etc. etc.)
Jagr’s admitted he’s always held a soft spot for the Rangers, as he revitalized his career in New York following the lockout. Intriguing possibility, as the Blueshirts are a team looking to add offense and could do worse than getting Jagr on a one-year deal.
The reality is that any potential deal will hinge on two things. One, what money Jagr’s looking for and two, how his body will hold up to another season at the NHL level. To that end, it should be noted that TSN’s Darren Dreger reports Jagr’s changed his offseason training methods “to shed some pounds and get faster.”
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