Jagr's decision to head to Russia was not easy

From Pierre Lebrun of the Canadian Press:

"It wasn't an easy decision," the star winger told The Canadian Press in a
phone interview Friday. "It was the toughest decision in my life, hockey-wise.
...

"It was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be," he added. "No
question about it. I hate making changes."

Read the entire article here.

Jagr admits in this piece that he was asking for a three-year deal. With the new CBA holding teams accountable for +35 age signings, Jagr was not going to get that kind of term in the NHL. Nonetheless, his talents will certainly be missed by all hockey fans, as he was arguably one of the most exciting players to watch over the past twenty years.

Looking at the remaining free agents

From Kevin Allen of USA Today:

Jaromir Jagr is going to Russia. Marian Hossa left $50 million on the table from other suitors to play one season for the Detroit Red Wings for $7.45 million. The Tampa Bay Lightning have changed a third of their roster.

The league has changed dramatically since the start of free agent signing season, but there still are desirable players:

•Pavol Demitra: At 33, he is a proven scorer who can play center and wing. He's going to produce points, and he has several teams bidding for him. "We are weighing a couple of different situations," said his agent, Matt Keator. "Like with all veteran free agents, winning, style of play and his family come into play."

Read the entire article here.

Almost all the significant free agents remaining are veteran players who have been through the wringer over the years. A couple of them may still be game-changers (Sakic, Selanne, Sundin), but most will be solid players who provide more "name recognition" than actual on-ice value.

Pat Brisson confirms Jagr deal

From John Dellapina of the NY Daily News:

Agent Pat Brisson just confirmed that Jagr signed a letter of intent with Avangard-Omsk of the Russian Continental League early this morning.

“Jaromir signed a letter of intent with the Avangard Omsk Hockey team of the Russian CHL on or about 3 a.m. EST this morning,” Brisson wrote in an e-mail message. “I won’t comment on the terms of the agreement at this time.

“It was a very difficult but personal decision to make in light of the many NHL teams interested in his services. He is grateful to the NHL and especially the Rangers in recent years.”

Read more from the Blueshirts Blog here.

Well, this confirms all the reports. I have to say that I am surprised Jagr has headed back overseas. Obviously the money was overwhelming, but playing in Russia is quite a drop in competition; especially considering Jagr's ability. He had a terrific career in the NHL and is a shoe-in Hall of Famer.

Report: Jagr signs with Omsk

From TSN:

Russian club Avangard Omsk says it has signed Jaromir Jagr, a day after the New York Rangers parted ways with the star winger.

Avangard announced the signing on its website today but did not disclose the terms of the contract.

Read the entire report here.

I'm not sure how much truth there is to this report. Until there is actual confirmation of this contract, I will reserve judgment.

Is Jagr deciding between Edmonton and Russia?

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

The future is uncertain for Jagr, who said that he would like to play five more years. He has an offer from Russia. He may have a multi-year offer coming to him from Edmonton.

"People think that it's better to have a lot of choices, but sometimes having one choice is best because you can't make the wrong one," Jagr said. "I don't know what I'm going to do now, but I'll make that choice when it's time.

Read the entire article here.

Brooks pays Jagr the respect he deserves in this article. The Czech winger was integral in turning the Rangers around from a pretender to a contender.

As for his future, if Jagr were to guarantee he'd play more than one season in the NHL, then I'd have no problem offering him a two-year deal if I were the Oilers.

Jagr done in the Big Apple

From Steve Zipay of Newsday:

Future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr's three-year tenure in New York is over.

Rangers general manager Glen Sather said this afternoon that he spoke with the Czech superstar, who is an unrestricted free agent, and told him that the club was moving in another direction.

"It was a very cordial parting," Sather said, adding that the 36-year-old was seriously considering an offer that his agent was reviewing from Russia.

Read the entire story here.

Well, if the Markus Naslund signing didn't make things official then Glen Sather's comments sure did. Jagr was the main reason the Rangers returned to respectability after the lockout. He carried the team on his back during both the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons and then was the Rangers' best player during the 2007/08 playoffs.

Even though he slowed down during the regular season last year, I'm sure many teams have a serious interest in the veteran winger. His skill-set is still one of the most impressive in the NHL and I have a feeling he won't be going overseas just yet.

This move is sure to change the dynamics of the Rangers locker room, as this is now Chris Drury's team.

Oilers offer Jagr 1 year, $7 million

From Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal:

But Plan B calls for a far less aggressive approach to Jaromir Jagr. A source said the Oilers are offering a one-year deal at more than $7 million US, leery as they are of a 36-year-old who might retire after one season and leave them on the hook for his massive salary cap hit whether he plays the second season or not.

Jagr apparently wants two years, which makes the Oilers a long shot. If Jagr heads for Omsk, Russia, and double-digit millions, stays in New York or lands elsewhere in the NHL and the Oilers go oh-for-two superstars this week, they are prepared to move ahead with their already improved roster.

Read more from Barnes here.

The Oilers can't risk a two year deal with Jagr if there is no guarantee he would play two seasons. While I like their aggressiveness, I do wonder if Jagr is a good fit in Edmonton. The team is young and growing and already has leadership in place; adding Jagr to the mix may throw off the dressing room chemistry.

Glen Sather on the Jagr situation

From Steve Zipay of Newsday:

"It may be a reality. I still think it's necessary to have experienced, talented people in your lineup to help these guys develop and Jaromir certainly has been a great player for this organization and I'm not ready to say goodbye to him. He may be ready to say goodbye to us. I can't say that for sure."

Read more from Blue Notes here.

It appears Jagr may be heading to another NHL team, as the sides don't look like they are getting any closer to an agreement. That said, the Rangers did open up more cap space today with the Tyutin/Backman trade and may make a splash bringing back Jagr and another scorer. If not the Rangers, then the Penguins, Oilers, Habs and Canucks are probably very interested in his services.

Penguins make offer to Jagr

From Sportsnet:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have offered a contract to free agent forward and former team captain, Jaromir Jagr, Sportsnet has learned.

Read more here.

No surprise here. Why wouldn't the Pens offer Jagr a contract. He doesn't want to play long-term and is cheaper and arguably as good as Marian Hossa.

It won't be easy for Sather to re-sign Jagr

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

It's not going to be easy for Sather to seal the deal now. It's not going to be easy for the GM to convince Jagr to sign a one-year contract with easily achievable bonuses that would justly make him the Blueshirts' highest-paid player while giving them the maneuverability to: A) add Sundin on the same type of over-35, one-year deal; B) retain Sean Avery ; and C) re-sign Michal Rozsival as the No. 1 defenseman.

It's not going to be easy for the Rangers to appeal to this immensely proud man, not with the clock about to strike midnight and the GM having allowed the sands to slip through the hourglass without a care in the world.

Read more from Brooks here.

It seems fairly simple, if the Rangers offer Jagr enough money on a two-year deal (or a one year deal with easily reachable bonuses), then they will be able to re-sign him.

Jagr looks like he's done in NY

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

Sather has repeatedly said that he wants to re-sign the captain. He told The Post on Thursday that remains his position. Still, it is believed the Rangers are unwilling to offer Jagr, who will turn 37 in February, anything other than a one-year deal that would allow them to include bonuses that could be deferred to 2009-10.

"I don't want to negotiate in the papers or speak for Jaromir, but I don't think that's something that would interest him at this point," Brisson said.

Read the entire article here.

There will be many teams who will want to sign Jagr and would gladly give him more than a one year pact. Even though Jagr is getting older, he is still a dominant player (see last year's playoffs) who can change the outlook of a team.

It appears the Rangers have decided that they want to hand the team off to Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Co., which is fine. However, if they have decided to do so, then they should make their intentions known and let Jagr know he is moving on. With this report out, I expect the Rangers to go hard after Marian Hossa.

Jagr wants to stay in NHL

From Larry Brooks of NY Post:

"Jaromir and I spoke last night and this morning, and his goal first and foremost is to play in the NHL for another two or three seasons," Jagr's agent, Pat Brisson, told The Post this afternoon. "His objective is to sign a new contract with the New York Rangers , and that has always been his priority.

"But his mindset is that it's not where he wants it to be with New York and (if) it doesn't work out with the Rangers, he will be on the market for other NHL teams. He believes that he can play at a very high level for another two or three years."

Read the entire article here.

No surprise that Jagr wants to stay in the NHL. There really hasn't been anything substantive that says Jagr wants to go back overseas. What is news from this article is that Jagr is fully willing to leave NY if a deal doesn't get done soon.

Report: Jagr offered $35 million by Omsk

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

A reliable third party source yesterday told The Post that his connections in the Czech Republic believe that Jagr has recently received a three-year contract offer for the equivalent of $35M after-tax US dollars from Omsk of the Russian Super League. The captain is believed to have received the formal offer this week from Omsk GM Anatoly Bardin after months of conversations.

Read the entire article here.

I really don't think the amount of money from overseas is going to change Jagr's mind. We have known all along he was going to/already got a big offer from overseas. I still believe his first preference is to continue playing in the NHL for NY. If the Rangers fail to offer him a "reasoonable" contract, then the Omsk offer should be taken more seriously.

Jagr and Rangers aren't in a rush

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

The status quo is that both the Rangers and Jagr are interested in extending their relationship for at least one more season. Jagr has said so, Sather has said so, and there is no reason to doubt either.

Read the entire article here.

Both sides seem to believe that the contract situation will work itself out. However, once July 1st hits, Jagr will surely be getting other offers and that could complicate things.

Sather hasn't contacted Jagr

From John Dellapina of the NY Daily News:

Jagr told me again today that he hasn’t heard anything from Rangers GM Glen Sather since they spoke on the day the team broke up for the season. While such a cat-and-mouse act is long-standing standard operating procedure for Sather, it makes little sense in this case.

Not only can Jagr sign with Omsk-Avangard at any time, there seems to be little to be gained by making him sit and wonder whether the Rangers want him back. His personal experience (see: Washington 2000-2004) is that things don’t go well when he’s playing for a team that doesn’t fully believe in him. And every day that goes by without the Rangers reaching out to him has to make him wonder even more.

Having watched the Rangers throw bags of money at Scott Gomez and Chris Drury last July - only to outscore both of them and play his best in the biggest games of this past season - how is he supposed to react to the team not even making an offer just two weeks shy of the day on which he can become an unrestricted free agent?

Read more from Dellapina here.

It is hard to predict Sather's strategy at this point. He could merely be planning for the draft and has plans to shift his focus to free agency soon after. On the other hand, maybe he doesn't have that much interest in Jagr. Either way, Jagr probably would like to find out where he stands with the organization sooner rather than later.

Glen Sather knows business is different with a salary cap

From John Dellapina of the NY Daily News:

One of the few loopholes in the NHL collective bargaining agreement would enable the Rangers to sign Jagr, as a player over 35 years old, to a one-year deal in which bonuses could be deferred to count against the following season's salary cap (as the Blueshirts did this past season with Brendan Shanahan). In that way, the Rangers probably could easily get Jagr close to the $8.36 million he made last season while being on the immediate hook for no more than the $4.9 million they paid him - Washington paid the rest as a condition of the 2004 trade that brought him to New York.

Avery would cost significantly less than Jagr. But Sather has so far refused to budge beyond a midseason offer of approximately $2.75 million per year, while Avery is seeking at least $3.5 million per.

Read the entire article here.

The Rangers need Jaromir Jagr on their team because he was hands-down their best player during the playoffs. I believe that both sides will come together on some sort of agreement within the next few weeks. As for Avery, I just don't see Glen Sather paying him $3.5 million per year. To be honest, I wouldn't pay him that either. He is a good player, but to give him that much money to be a second line winger is just too much in my opinion.

Larry Brooks on Jagr and the Rangers

Brooks: "And if the Rangers commit now to Jagr at some cost to Drury and Gomez, then doesn't last summer's call not to give Nylander the deal that would have kept him on Broadway appear terribly misguided?"

Here is the link to the full NY Post article.

My take: Brooks tackles the Jagr issue from a number of different angles. That, of course, makes for an interesting read; however, he does not address who would take Jagr's place should the Rangers let him go. Never mind the fact that Jagr was far and away the Rangers' best player during their two round playoff stint. I think it would be foolish for the Rangers to let Jagr go.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. The San Jose Sharks players are asking management to keep the team together for another run.
2. Canadiens GM Bob Gainey is looking to add a forward to the mix.
3. Hockey Canada honours the 1976 Canada Cup team, at a ceremony in Canada.
4. Darren Dreger notes that the Dallas Stars will have to physically target the Wings' defense.
5. Adam Proteau comments on Jim Balsillie and Elisha Cuthbert.
6. Ken Campbell says that history dictates we will see a Pittsburgh-Detroit final.
7. Jaromir Jagr hopes to remain a Ranger.
8. The Sabres are for sale, but will not be moved. The Sabres also signed Nathan Gerbe.
9. Jeremy Roenick says that he will return to the Sharks next season.
10. The Capitals will consider signing Sergei Fedorov.
11. Hockey players have become the toast of celebrity gossip. Just ask my wife!
12. Joining tens of other people, Brad Stuart says he enjoys Detroit.
13. John Buccigross discusses hockey guys.
14. John Tavares fires his agent and hires his mother.
15. Al Strachan believes Ron Wilson's days are numbered in San Jose.
16. Jim Matheson answers readers' questions.
17. Craig Conroy faces an uncertain future in Calgary.
18. Confessions of a hockey virgin.
19. Damien Cox says the current Flyers are channeling the Broad Street Bullies.
20. The weekly release from the USHL.
21. The draft order has been set.
22. Norway continues the climb to respectability at the World Championships.
23. The weekly Junior Report.
24. Memorial Cup history, 1940.
25. Stan Fischler predicts a Flyers-Stars Stanley Cup final.

NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Thursday Edition)

Here the morning papers for the second round playoff teams:

Eastern Conference:

Montreal (1) versus Philadelphia (6):

• Carey Price had a little fun with the media on Wednesday, writes Pat Hickey. Meanwhile, Saku Koivu and Kimmo Timonen's friendship will be on hiatus until the Habs/Flyers series is complete.
• Here is a complete breakdown of both squads, courtesy of Ed Barkowitz. Barkowitz likes the Flyers in 7. The Flyers understand that playing the Habs is a lot different than the Capitals. Philadelphia is a different team now than the one that was dominated by the Canadiens during the season.

Pittsburgh (2) versus New York Rangers (5):

• The Penguins plan to ignore Rangers winger Sean Avery throughout their series. If the Pens want to score, they know they will have to create a lot of traffic in front of Henrik Lunqvist. On the injury front, Gary Roberts will be a game-time decision for the Penguins tomorrow night.
• John Dellapina of the NY Daily News breaks down all the aspects of the Rangers/Penguins series. With all the talk about the Penguins' youth, the Rangers think their young players are pretty good too. In an interesting article, Jaromir Jagr doesn't think Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby are in Mario Lemieux's league. (Writer's note: I agree.) Well, that sure did not take long; as you can now say goodbye to the Sean Avery shirt.

Western Conference:

Detroit (1) versus Colorado (6):

• The Wings are very excited to rekindle their rivalry with the Avalance, writes Helene St. James. This series includes arguably the two best players in the NHL when it comes to playing in front of the opposition's net, writes George Sipple. It appears the Wings will play Game 1 without Kirk Maltby and Brad Stuart. Helene St. James likes the Wings in 7.
• Terry Frei has a nice article about the turnaround of Jose Theodore's fortunes. The Wings are concerned about the Avalanche's impressive power play. The Denver Post has a full analysis of the series.

San Jose (2) versus Dallas (5):

• The Sharks and Stars are very closely matched, writes David Pollak. Here is the schedule of the series. Hockey is hot in the Bay Area as Tuesday's Game 7 was the region's highest rated hockey game since 2002.
• It looks like Sergei Zubov is close to returning to the Stars line-up. Many of the Stars feel like their final game of the regular season versus the Sharks really brought them together.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Friday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the Eastern Conference playoff match ups:

Montreal versus Boston:

• Carey Price had a meltdown in the third period and the result is Game 6 on Saturday in Boston. "We have to forget this game right away," said Canadiens youngster Maxim Lapierre after his team's 5-1 home loss to the Bruins. For all the chances the Bruins have had this series, it was a fluke goal that led to last night's victory. Meanwhile, the Habs have many players on their roster who had great regular seasons, so with that comes bonus payments, writes Pat Hickey.
• The Bruins knew they had 20 minutes to continue their season and with a dominant third period they did just that, writes Fluto Shinwaza. Glen Metropolit's first career playoff goal was sure a big one, writes Kevin Paul Dupont. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli had a little talk with Harry Sinden yesterday. Meantime, if the Bruins lose on Saturday, that may be Glen Murray's last game as a Bruin.

Pittsburgh versus Ottawa:

• Bob Smizik wonders if the Penguins are that good or the Senators are that bad? While they all want to grow playoff bears, not all the Penguins can. Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette examines the positives and negatives of having a layoff.
• Ray Emery discussed his season with the Ottawa press yesterday. (Writer's note: Why do people give him so much attention? He's an average goalie with an attitude problem. I've read enough about Ray Emery for five years.) In other Senators news, Jason Speeza loves Ottawa and it is the only city he wants to play hockey in. Here are all the Senators' exit interviews.

Washington versus Philadelphia:

• The Capitals put forth their best game of the playoffs last night Philadelphia and still lost, writes Tarik El-Bashir. Mike Wise of the Washington Post wonders if the Capitals turned in their best game a little too late? You can't teach experience, writes Jason La Canfora.
• Martin Biron turned his game up a notch when his team needed it most, writes Sam Donnellon. The Flyers were outplayed during regulation but they took the play to the Capitals during overtime, writes Tim Panaccio. Game 4 was just a terrific hockey game, writes Phil Sheridan.

New Jersey versus New York Rangers:

• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger wonders when Martin Brodeur is going to steal a game for the Devils? "The message was we don't have to win three games (tonight), just one," said Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner. If the Devils want to slow down the pace of Game 5, the Rangers won't be complaining.
• After predicting the team's exit from the first round a week ago, Larry Brooks of the NY Post is suddenly examining the possibility that Jaromir Jagr could win the Conn Smythe and, as a result, trigger an option for next season. A couple of Rangers have been part of comebacks from down 3-1 in the playoffs so they won't be taking their lead for granted, writes John Dellapina. Bob Raissman of the NY Daily News says that Sean Avery is good for hockey in the big picture.

The morning papers for the Western Conference playoff match ups are soon to follow...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com