This coming Sunday, the New Jersey Devils Jaromir Jagr turns 43. Take that in for a moment if you remember Jagr once as a bright-eyed teenager who would hoist the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jagr would spend 11 mostly spectacular seasons in Pittsburgh, and during that span he scored 439 goals, 640 assists for 1,079 points in 806 games.
Then, in one of the worst trades in NHL history, Jagr was traded to the Capitals in what was essentially a salary dump for Kris Beech, Michal Sivek and Ross Lupachuk in the Summer of 2001. I don’t have to remind you of how utterly worthless that trio was, or that Jagr has since went on to score another 705 points (277 goals, 428 assists) over a 12-year span playing for six different teams.
The numbers place him among the very best to ever play the game. In fact, Jagr’s next goal will tie him with Phil Esposito for the fifth most goals in NHL history. Yet, for all the personal achievements, Jagr has gone over 20 years since he last hoisted Lord Stanley.
After all these years, could Jagr end up on a quest for his third Stanley Cup championship as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins?
With a little less than a month until the trade deadline, two things we do know is the Devils are looking like sellers in the trade market, as they sit 13 points out of the final playoff spot in the East. We also know that the Penguins have been rumored to be looking for a top-six forward that can be brought in as a rental, and can fit within their limited cap space.
Jagr was last rumored to be reuniting with the Pens in 2011, when he famously spurned his former club at the last minute to sign with their hated rival the Philadelphia Flyers. Since then, Jagr has had stints in Dallas and Boston, before spending the past two seasons in New Jersey.
Rumors have been circulating that Jagr’s days in New Jersey are numbered, and with a no-trade clause, it’s quite possible Devils GM and interim coach Lou Lamoriello will attempt to move him before the deadline. Jagr spoke to the trade rumors on Monday in an interview with NJ Advance media. “I feel I don’t have to ask. If it’s good for the team, I’m gone,” Jagr said. “If they feel like they’ve got a good offer, they’ll trade me. I don’t have to ask.”
Playing on one of the worst teams in the East, Jagr has posted a respectable line of 11 goals and 18 assists in 50 games. One would have to believe that playing on a line with let’s say, Evgeni Malkin and Patric Horqvist could help a motivated Jagr produce down the stretch.
In order to make a deal work, Pens GM Jim Rutherford will undoubtably have to be creative considering Jagr’s contract of $3.5 million and the Pens cap space right around $1 million don’t exactly mesh. New Jersey does have the cap flexibility to take on some of Jagr’s remaining contract, but what would it take to get Jagr if Rutherford wants to bring him back?
Teams such as the Bruins, Lightning, and Islanders are all rumored to be interested in dealing for Jagr. With his impending UFA status, acquiring Jagr is even more intriguing for teams looking for a late season rental. With only two forwards on their current roster 29 or younger, one would have to think the Devils would prefer draft picks or prospects in a deal.
Considering the Penguins currently only have five picks available in the 2015 draft, the Penguins may have to look at a variety of options to make a deal work. Could a trade involving one of the Penguins prospects or young players like Beau Bennett be enough to put a deal in place? Do the Pens want to continue to mortgage the future for a soon to be 43-year-old rental?
It might make more sense to bolster the defense or hope that a player like Blake Comeau can get the job done on a top line, but Rutherford has a long history of taking risks.
Now, we wait to see if Jagr is one of the next risky moves.
