Jaromir Jagr: 6 Reasons He Has Been Far from a Disaster for the Flyers

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Over the summer this writer lamented the Philadelphia Flyers' signing of Jaromir Jagr. Forty games into the Flyers' season, I am forced to eat a healthy heaping of crow. 

Perhaps the article I wrote at the time "Jaromir Jagr: 6 Reasons He Could Be a Disaster for the Flyers," was written through the eyes of a Flyers fan. At the time of the signing, it was hard to see Jagr as something other than one of the most hated enemies of the orange and black.

Let's revisit that original article and see how Jagr and the man who signed him, Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren, have proved me wrong.

Jagr Has Not Taken the Blame from the Flyers Fans for Any Flyers Shortcomings

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I originally speculated that if the Flyers faltered in any way that Jagr would bear the brunt of the blame. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Beside the original hemming and hawing about the signing over the summer, the Flyers fans have embraced Jagr, putting his past dalliances with the Penguins, Rangers and Capitals behind them.

Jagr is a Flyer now and that's all that matters to the Philly faithful and his teammates. He's helped Claude Giroux become a front-runner as the NHL's MVP, and his work ethic has inspired his teammates as well.

At this point, barring a total collapse of his individual play, which seems totally unlikely, Jagr will not take the blame for any of the Flyers' shortcomings.

The Fans

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In my original piece I stated, "I find it hard to believe that the Philly faithful will embrace a player they so vehemently hated when he played for the Penguins, Rangers and Capitals."

Again...whoops.

According to the rankings at Shop.NHL.Com, Jagr's Flyers' jerseys are some of the top sellers for the team. 

Sure the Philly fans can be brutal with the opposition, but when a player slips on that orange and black, well, that makes forgiveness a lot easier. 

As far as the Pittsburgh Penguins fans, that's a different story.

Age

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Again, a swing and a miss on my part. I speculated that Jagr's body would break down over the course of the season. Yes, there was a brief scare at the Winter Classic, but overall, Jagr has played in 34 of 40 games for the Flyers, putting him right in the middle of the pack for the team. 

In his last three seasons in the NHL, Jagr did not miss a game, but it should be noted that he last played in the NHL during the 2007-08 season. No one will fault Jagr if he puts in 65-plus games over the course of the season, as long as he is healthy and contributing during the playoffs.

His $3.3 Million Dollar Contract Could Have Been Spent Better Elsewhere

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Zero for four on my part. I actually suggested that the $3.3 million the Flyers spent on Jagr should have gone toward signing Ville Leino, who eventually signed with the Buffalo Sabres for six years and $27 million.

To date, Leino has played 30 games for the Sabres, scoring three goals and seven assists. On the other hand, Jagr has 12 goals and 19 assists in 34 games.

This one is pretty embarrassing.

Scoring

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The last time Jagr laced up the skates for an NHL team, he played 82 games and put up 71 points. In my original article I speculated that Jagr's declining point totals from 123 to 96 to 71 in his last three NHL seasons did not bode well heading into this season.

All signs point to Jagr putting up numbers that are close to the numbers he put up during his final season with the Rangers before leaving the NHL for three seasons in the KHL. If Jagr can approach 71 points by season's end, his signing will be more than worth the money.

The Competition

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I figured that by this time in the season, fans of opposing teams would be laughing hysterically at the misstep that Flyers Paul Holmgren had made when he signed an aging player that looked like he was on the decline.

At this point in time, it looks like Jagr, Holmgren and the Flyers will have the last laugh.

Jagr has inspired his teammates, he's the third highest scorer on the team, he's infected the team with his enthusiasm, and he's far from coasting through his time with the Flyers.

A signing that was met by trepidation over the summer can now be looked at as a masterstroke. I'm man enough to admit that I could not have been more wrong in thinking that Jagr was going to be a disastrous fit with the Flyers.