Jaromir Jagr’s agent Jaroslav Zidek was just quoted as saying the Jaromir Jagr will be free as a bird come summer. The struggling KHL has made mandatory across the board cuts of 30% to the salaries of all KHL players.
The Avangard Omsk (Jagr’s team) is having major financial difficulties and is most likely going to have to dump Jagr at the end of the season, if there is still a KHL next year anyway. The mandatory cut that the KHL has made, virtually makes all of the players contracts useless.
In a previous post “read it here: Jaromir Jagr returning to the Penguins?” 37 year old Jagr claimed that he would come to the Penguins for league minimum. While this is not actually possible under the collective bargaining agreement, he could still come in at a very cheap price. After July 1st Jaromir doesn’t have to clear waivers either.
This summer the Penguins have a lot of unrestricted free agents and a lot of restricted free agents. (they are listed here: “Miroslav Satan put on Waivers“) The key offensive players the Penguins have as unrestricted free agents are: 38 year old Billy Guerin & 32 year old Petr Sykora .
Billy Guerin is currently making $4.5 million and I do not see any way possible that the Penguins resign him next season, at least not for that amount of money. Sykora, who was benched at the end of the game against Florida for some reason (possible the upper body ailment that almost made his miss the Dallas game), is making $2.5 million. At $2.5 million I would take him in a heartbeat, but the coaches don’t apparently see it that way, even though he has 13 power play goals, they still don’t give him much time on it.
While the free agent market this summer should be a good one, unless the salary cap goes up, I’m afraid the Penguins are going to be watching it from outside. Evgeni Malkin’s salary almost doubles against the cap and we have a lot of defensemen and a backup goaltender to sign.
Jagr is ripping it up in the KHL and has done pretty well in the NHL the last few years. In 2006 he had 54 goals and 123 overall points, only 2 points behind the Art Ross Trophy. His talent, while not what it used to be, is still at a very high level. The ability of Jagr to teach Malkin & Crosby on and off the ice would be immeasurable, similar to what Lemieux has done for him.
Jaromir Jagr coming in at the right price could really help. There are rumors around that Edmonton is courting Jagr and is willing to pay $7 million. If that is true, Jagr needs to decide whether he wants to take the money and run or try for one more Stanley Cup before he retires. I will say it again: I would love to see Jagr retire here and have his shirt retired to the rafters to it’s rightful place, beside Lemieuxs.
Some day down the road, having banners in the rafters that read Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby & Malkin would be quite something.
Pittsburgh je lepší Jágr Detroit hráči jsou stále staré a bude mít štěstí, aby se do play-off v příštím roce. Hrát na tým se dvěma nejlepšími hráči na světě, bude pro něj lepší. Jágr má historii v Pittsburghu.
KLUB PRO JÁGRA HODNĚ UDĚLAL, OVŠEM I JÁGR HODNĚ UDĚLAL PRO KLUB. MYSLÍM, ŽE PRO JÁGRA JE LEPŠÍ DETROIT, KDE MÁ VĚTŠÍ MOŽNOST VYHRÁT STANLEY CUP. SAVANA.
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As of July 1st Jagr doesn’t have to clear waivers, so the whole waiver process won’t matter, Jagr can go where he likes. I guess we will see if he is in it for the hockey or the money.
This has picked up some more steam as Larry Brooks claims in yesterday’s NY Post http://www.nypost.com/seven/03082009/sports/rangers/jagr_renney_reunion_in_edmonton_possible_158508.htm
that Jagr was in fact attempting to negotiate his way out of next season’s obligation to his KHL team (Omsk) so that he could have signed with Edmonton last week, a day or two before the NHL trade deadline.
Pretty interesting story because (Brooks insists) they were going to shut the Penguins out of the signing. Brooks also insists that Jagr is all but certain to attempt to gain clearance from Omsk and the KHL to return to the NHL next season. With the Penguins. MARIO might do that.
Hey… Jagr still owns his house in Mt. Lebo doesn’t he? Recall the story about the ants!
by the way – is that sign in the backround a giant jaromir jagr in russian?
I would take Jagr back. 11 great years of hockey, 1 stupid comment. and the penguins we’re screwing him by getting rid of every good player around him. he worked his ass off every night just ta watch the team taken aprt around him i can’t blame him for being upset.
Jagr ‘Dying Alive’ – you were here, played well, and should some day have your number retired. Other than that enjoy the rest of your career ‘Staying Alive’somewehe else.