Flyers acquire Jagr after other teams withdraw

Jaromir Jagr could have an instrumental role with the Philadelphia Flyers next season.

The Philadelphia Flyers have pulled the trigger on the former KHL star, Jaromir Jagr. The contract is for 1 year – 3.3 million dollars.

Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings withdrew their offers to Jagr because of the untimely response, as well as making this signing a “circus.” The Pens had an offer of 1 year – 2 million dollars presented to the Czech.

Jagr has been playing for Avangard Omsk of the KHL, but made it clear at the end of the season he wanted to return to the NHL for one final run at the Stanley Cup before ultimately retiring. He wanted to play with a Cup contender, and the Flyers are perennially a contender to win it all every year.

With the addition of younger, faster talent, as well as a reliable number one goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov, the Flyers hold their own future in this hands. Veteran leadership mixed with young talent can prove to be a deadly combination for any team facing the Flyers on any given night.

Jagr does not obviously have the speed he once possessed, but he is still able to shot the puck and score goals. He is also an accurate passer who could do wonder for Giroux or JVR if he plays on the first line with them. The risk-reward factor for a 1 year contract is enough to make the Flyers want to wander down this road.

The Flyers will also use Jagr on their power-play, which struggled for most of the regular season. Jagr will most likely play on the lower circles and slide in front of the net for a quick shot. He is also valuable when they cycle the puck as he will be able to get out in front and snap a shot quickly. Just because his speed may be slower, doesn’t mean his shot is.

He possesses the power to score 20-30 goals this season, and can provide valuable help to the younger talent.

* The Flyers have also signed Defenseman Andreas Lilja, as well as agreed to a contract extension with Jakub Voracek*

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Jaromir Jagr eyeing one final return

Jaromir Jagr eyes one more return in the NHL before calling it quits.

If Jaromir Jagr was a musician, you could consider this his “farewell tour.”

Jagr is looking to enter back into the NHL after playing overseas for the Avangard Omsk of the KHL.

His agent has touched base with the Red Wings, Rangers, Canadians, Capitals and Penguins to see where their respective general managers stood on accepting him for one final run in the NHL. He is also reported as asking for a significant pay cut to be able to be on a contending team.

Jagr is hardly the player he once was. His final seasons with the Rangers were strong, but obviously down hill from his days with the Penguins where he teamed with Mario Lemieux. Jagr wants one more Stanley Cup run before finally hanging up the skates.

If Jagr comes at the right place, I can see the Red Wings giving him a deal. The Wings are good for signing over-the-hump players to one-year deals. The Wings were at the top of the leaderboard in average age for a hockey team. Thought Jagr will probably not be the scoring machine he once was, he could probably be another veteran player to help out a tired Wings team. That is, Jagr doesn’t become tired himself.