Flyers Sign Jaromir Jagr to One-Year Contract

Jaromir Jagr is on his way back to the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers announced on the first day of free agency that they have signed the 39-year-old right wing to a one-year contract worth $3.3 million. The Pittsburgh Penguins had offered Jagr a one-year, $2 million contract in the days before free agency opened, but he turned down the deal. It was reported the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens were also very interested in signing Jagr. He last played in the NHL during the 2007-08 season with the New York Rangers and has played the last three years in the KHL. In 49 games last season with Omsk of the KHL, Jagr had 19 goals and 31 assists for 50 points. He won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. He has also won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999, the Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, the Lester B. Pearson Award as the player of the year selected by the NHLPA in 1999, 2000, and 2006, and Olympic Gold and Bronze Medals in 1998 and 2006, respectively. In 1273 career NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, he has 646 goals and 953 assists for 1599 points. This is a decent signing for the Flyers, as Jagr has always been an elite scoring forward throughout his NHL career. He is an excellent goal scorer and playmaker and has outstanding hockey sense on the ice, although he can be an extremely moody player from time to time. Jagr should provide some offensive spark to Philadelphia's lineup, but given his age and time spent away from the NHL, he may not have elite skill he once had, but will likely still be an offensive threat in 2011-12.