Jaromir Jagr Reportedly Hits Free Agency as Panthers Cut Ties with Winger

The Florida Panthers informed the agent of longtime NHL forward Jaromir Jagr they don't plan on offering him a new contract. He'll officially become a free agent at noon Eastern on Saturday.                  

Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported agent Petr Svoboda received word the Panthers decided to "cut ties," allowing the 45-year-old legend to hit the open market.

Although Jagr is no longer the elite point producer he was during his peak seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he's still a valuable middle-six winger. He tallied 46 points (16 goals and 30 assists) while playing all 82 games for the Panthers last season.

He struggled to generate interest during the league's "legal tampering" period leading up to the start of free agency, though. The NHL is trending more toward youth and speed, which makes players with his less explosive skill set a tougher sell, despite the reasonable scoring rate.

Jagr joked about the situation Thursday on social media:

In December, the 13-time All-Star selection said he wanted to keep playing for at least five more years as long as there are teams willing to sign him, per Rory Boylen of Sportsnet.

"When I said I want to play until 50, everybody laughed at me, but I'll work every day to do it," Jagr said.

He added: "You know, maybe when I retire I'll look back at what I did, and maybe I'm going to think about it a little more. But right now I just enjoy every moment I can to have a chance to play in this league and try and do everything to stay in this league. I love it so much."

Putting up nearly 50 points still represents a rock-solid season, even if he doesn't have to speed to match many of his wing counterparts. He should start getting more calls once the initial wave of free agency is over, and it'd be a shock if he wasn't on a roster to start the 2017-18 season.