NHL Free Agency: 5 Reasons Signing Jaromir Jagr Is a Mistake for the Penguins
The prospects of seeing Jaromir Jagr and Sidney Crosby playing on the same line and having it solve all of the Penguins' wing problems are very enticing. It will definitely bring back great memories from the 90s and with a stacked team with players like Malkin and Crosby the Penguins will make a great run for a chance for the Stanley Cup.
However, that story seems all too good to be true. It sounds like a story straight from Hollywood. The former superstar returns to the place where he left unceremoniously and brings back a Cup to the Steel City.
Not going to happen. Ray Shero is too smart.
As we wait for Jaromir Jagr to make a decision on whether he wants to give the NHL another shot, let's go over a few reasons why he will be a terrible mistake if the Penguins signed him.
Makes No Sense Economically
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Jaromir Jagr is reportedly asking for $2 million from NHL teams. The Penguins are so close to the cap that making a move like this doesn't make any sense economically.
They can save that money and retain players like Max Talbot and Pascal Dupuis who were key members of the 2009 Stanley Cup team.
Unless Jagr is willing to sign for less than $1.5 million the Penguins should not even bother going after him. They have other guys they need to resign to fill the wing positions that are proven and in their primes. Jagr is not what he once was and he definitely is not worth the $2 million dollar he is asking for. He hasn't played in the NHL for years and it's highly uncertain if he can provide the same output he did with the Rangers.
He's the Manny Ramirez of Hockey
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In baseball, a great example of a player who followed the beat of his own drum and did his own thing at all times was Manny Ramirez.
Jaromir Jagr is exactly that in hockey. He's always been on his own. He's never been a great team player and that doesn't fit well with the Penguins' philosophy. It's not certain whether Jagr will realize that this is now Crosby's team. Jagr has never taken the role of second fiddle in his career. Maybe he won't be a good role player. Maybe he won't want to be a role player and this may disrupt team chemistry.
The Penguins organization prides themselves on commitment to the team. Dan Bylsma is a team coach and all recent Penguins teams have been closely knit with solid team guys. It's not clear whether Jagr will buy into this.
He Can't Withstand an 82 Game Schedule
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Jagr is not getting any younger. He is now hitting 40 and he hasn't played a full NHL schedule since he last played in North America. The travel in the KHL is a lot easier than in the NHL and the schedule is also shorter.
Jagr's old legs may not last through an 82 game season. And with the Penguins expecting to make another Cup run next season, it's highly uncertain that Jaromir will be able to play the full season and also play two more months in the playoffs.
So if the Penguins are going to pay a guy $2 million and he misses a chunk of the season, then it's a very risky move and they should stay away from such a move.
Now it is true that Jagr didn't miss a single game in his last three seasons with the Rangers and he pretty much played every game with Avangard Omsk in the KHL, but making the transition from a 54 game schedule with light travel to an 82 game schedule with heavy travel may be too much to ask for from an aging player.
Part of the reason why Jagr is delaying his decision is this and he knows it. He wants to be an effective player and the fact that he is uncertain whether he should return or not shows that he doesn't know whether he can go through the full grind.
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Think with Your Head, Not with Your Heart
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We have all heard of the guy that knows his girlfriend is cheating on him, but he loves her so much that he justifies it with some foolish excuse so he doesn't have his heart broken.
That's life. Whenever there is anything where there are a lot of emotions involved, we tend to think with our hearts more than our heads.
If the Penguins sign Jagr, they'll be Stu from "The Hangover," who just didn't want to admit that his girlfriend had been cheating on him for years. Sure the idea of Jagr's return to Pittsburgh sounds nice, but the fact of the matter is he's an aging forward who the Penguins will have to overpay for.
Shrewd people don't let emotions get in the way of the decisions they make. The smart guy doesn't choose the college he's going to because his girlfriend also goes to that college. He chooses his college because he knows the program and setting is right for him and he wants to go there to succeed.
Ray Shero is a smart guy and he won't make that mistake.
Fool Me Once Shame on You, Fool Me Twice Shame on Me
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The Penguins took a chance with another former star this past season by trading for Alexei Kovalev. Once again, the idea sounded nice, but he didn't do much for the Pens.
He didn't provide that much offensively and he was a huge liability defensively. The Penguins don't want this to happen again and hopefully they have learned their lesson.
It's true that the Kovalev move was to add some scoring punch after Malkin got injured, and it was short term so that made it tolerable.
But what the Penguins don't want is an ancient Jagr to be on a long scoring drought while they're paying him $2 million.
Hopefully the Penguins follow Peter Townsend's great words and "don't get fooled again."
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