Within weeks of trading captain Mike Richards and fellow high scorer Jeff Carter on the same day, the Philadelphia Flyers won the Jaromir Jagr sweepstakes Friday after the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings bowed out.
Jagr signed a one-year, $3.3-million contract after spending the past three seasons with Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. That came after Jagr played three seasons with the New York Rangers, where he became the team’s 24th captain and set franchise records for goals (54) and points (123) in his first season, 2005-06.
“There’s a reason why there was so much interest and hype about him in the free agent market because he’s a good player,” said feisty wing Max Talbot, who left the Penguins to sign a five-year, $19-million contract with the Flyers. “He showed the world at the World Championship that he can definitely play. I remember playing against him and he was one of the guys that was always toughest to play against. He was so big and controlled the puck in the corner and made the right play. Just a great signing for the Flyers.”
The 39-year-old Jagr is again ready for NHL duty after being one of the best forwards in the World Championships in May while playing for the Czech Republic. He should be an especially big draw on divisional road trips to play the Rangers and Penguins, who made Jagr the fifth overall pick in 1990 and helped lead them to Stanley Cups in his first two seasons.
Jagr will be counted on to fill the void for the losses of Richards, a wing dealt to the Los Angeles Kings on June 23 for blue-chip forward Brayden Schenn, power forward Wayne Simmonds and a second-round pick in 2012, and Carter, a center dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Jakub Voracek and first- and third-round picks in last Saturday’s draft just minutes after Richards was sent packing. Richards and Carter were traded to open salary-cap space after acquiring the negotiating right to Phoenix Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who is seeking a large contract despite some struggles in the playoffs.
After Jagr signed, there were various reports the Penguins were livid about the circus the signing became with his agent, former NHL defenseman Petr Svoboda, involved with other teams. About a half-hour before free-agent signing started at noon, the Penguins announced they had withdrawn their offer for Jagr, who had met with Penguins owner and former teammate Mario Lemieux last week.
“We made what we thought was a very fair contract offer to Jaromir on Tuesday, based on his stated interest of returning to the Penguins,” general manager Ray Shero said in a statement. “We made our best offer from the start, given our salary cap structure, in an attempt to facilitate the deal. But now, after several days, with an extended time frame for making a decision, and additional teams getting involved, we have decided to move in a different direction.
“It was never our intention to get involved in a free-agent bidding war, and we have to focus on our team. Jaromir is one of the greatest players in Penguins history and we wish him all the best.”
About a half-hour later, the Red Wings also dropped out of the running, leaving Philadelphia and the Montreal Canadiens as the frontrunners for Jagr, who is ninth all-time in NHL scoring with 1,599 points, only 42 behind Joe Sakic. He has played in 1,273 NHL games over 17 seasons, including the first 11 in Pittsburgh, where he won the Stanley Cup twice, the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy five times and the Lester B. Pearson Award four times.
Jagr also was a finalist for the Hart Trophy five times, including in 2006 with the Rangers. The last time Jagr played in North America was at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where he was the flag bearer for the Czech Republic. He won gold at the 1998 Olympics and bronze at the 2006 Games.
The Flyers later angered the Penguins and their fans even more when they signed the versatile Talbot and then added defenseman Andreas Lilja (three years, $5.1 million). The Penguins countered by signing wing Steve Sullivan (one year, $1.5 million) and re-signing forward Tyler Kennedy (two years, $4 million).
The Flyers then traded wing Kris Versteeg to the Florida Panthers for a second- and third-round pick. Versteeg rejoins his former general manager, Dale Tallon in Florida as he tries to recapture the magic he showed in 2009-10. The Flyers also lost forward Ville Leino, who signed a six-year, $27-million contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Leino became unsignable after the Flyers’ earlier moves filled most of their $64.3 million salary cap.
With Richards gone, former Hartford Whalers defenseman and first-round pick Chris Pronger is expected to be named the Flyers’ new captain.
Related
Mitch Beck
Related posts
Top picks
WOLF PACK PREGAME: ATLANTIC SEMIS VS. BRUINS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins open their second Calder Cup Playoff series in as many years against each other tonight at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The puck drop is set for 7:05…
WOLF PACK COMPLETE PAIR OF TRANSACTIONS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack Bryce McConnell-Barker Reassigned by Rangers, Maxim Barbashev Released from ATO HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has reassigned forward Bryce McConnell-Barker to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack from…
ROAD WARRIORS LOST TO RABBITS; SWAMP RABBTS IMPRESSIVE IN DEFEAT
SOLAR BEARS TAKE SERIES LEAD WITH OVERTIME WIN Orlando puts Greenville on the brink despite Colton Young’s 3-point night, Bobby Russell’s pair of goals By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits ORLANDO, Fla. – Despite a high-scoring affair, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits fell to the Orlando…
WOLF PACK TO PLAY BRUINS IN ATLANTIC SEMIS
WOLF PACK TO FACE PROVIDENCE BRUINS IN ATLANTIC DIVISION SEMIFINALS Foes Faceoff For Second Straight Postseason HARTFORD, CT—For the second straight postseason, The Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins will face off in the Atlantic Division Semifinals. This series will follow a 2-2-1 setup, with the…
WOLF PACK PREGAME: ATLANTIC SEMIS VS. BRUINS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins open their second Calder Cup Playoff series in as many years against each other tonight at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The puck drop is set for 7:05…
WOLF PACK COMPLETE PAIR OF TRANSACTIONS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack Bryce McConnell-Barker Reassigned by Rangers, Maxim Barbashev Released from ATO HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has reassigned forward Bryce McConnell-Barker to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack from…
WOLF PACK TO PLAY BRUINS IN ATLANTIC SEMIS
WOLF PACK TO FACE PROVIDENCE BRUINS IN ATLANTIC DIVISION SEMIFINALS Foes Faceoff For Second Straight Postseason HARTFORD, CT—For the second straight postseason, The Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins will face off in the Atlantic Division Semifinals. This series will follow a 2-2-1 setup, with the…
GARAND AND WOLF PACK ELIMINATE CHECKERS IN 3
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack CHARLOTTE, NC – Dylan Garand made a playoff career-high 39 saves on Sunday afternoon to help the Hartford Wolf Pack complete their First Round series victory over the Charlotte Checkers. The Wolf Pack used a five-on-five, powerplay, and shorthanded…
ORLANDO ENDS SWAMP RABBITS SEASON
Swamp Rabbits show life late, but Orlando pulls away to win the series BY: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, SC– Jaydon Dureau’s two-goal night spearheaded a 5-1 Orlando Solar Bears win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Tuesday to win the South Division Semifinals…
SWAMP RABBITS ANSWER BACK IN GAME 2
Eberle nets game-winner; three multi-point performers shine in win BY: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, SC—Tanner Eberle broke a deadlock in a wild third period to headline the Greenville Swamp Rabbits’ Game 2 win over the Orlando Solar Bears by a 4-2 score on Monday…
SWAMP RABBITS DROP GAME 1 in OT
Spencer Kersten ends a 72-minute game to steal Game 1 from Greenville By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – Spencer Kersten ended a marathon goalie duel to give the Orlando Solar Bears a lead in the South Division Semifinals, 1-0, over the Greenville…
SWAMP RABBITS SCHEDULE FOR SOUTH DIVISION SEMIFINALS
Swamp Rabbits and Solar Bears begin a best-of-seven series this Sunday in Greenville By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced the full schedule for the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs…