It's been 46 days since NHL Free Agency began, and Jaromir Jagr is still unemployed.
This is not to say he is undeserving of a job, but the criticism GM Dale Tallon received for not re-signing the enigma that is Jagr seems to be all emotion, not practicality.
Yes he is a presence.
Yes he brings intangibles to a locker room that only Jagr brings.
Yes his discipline to his body and infamous workout routines as examples to the younger players will be missed.
But in a league that keeps getting bigger and faster, Jagr is at a point of severe diminishing returns...at least that is an opinion obviously shared by every other NHL GM.
It appears Jagr would be willing to play anywhere in the league, and per his agent it isn't about money.
If that is the case it would be hard to believe he won't be on someone's roster opening night.
It's not as if he is coming off a bad year, especially with all the injuries and turmoil Florida players endured.
His 16 goals and 30 assists were very respectable considering his line with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau weren't 100% healthy for any of the season even after they were finally united in game 51 when Huberdeau returned from a torn Achilles suffered during preseason.
Jagr has clearly lost a step over the last few years, and the prominent holding and hooking penalties late in the year were proof. He recorded the fourth most penalty minutes of his career(56) and most in 10 years.
His staunch diehards would talk about his puck possession skills, which are amazing, but in today's league speed has to play a part as well.
In this respect, the league is quickly passing him by.
Hence his phone is silent.
Jagr on a third line making the veteran minimum and putting up 30-40 points will be attractive to some team out there. Many would say that would be a perfect role on the Panthers and he'd be a great linemate for Nick Bjugstad.
I cant say I disagree.
But Tallon is back in charge and new head coach Bob Boughner wants a fast, tough team. Jagr only fits half that bill.
Evegeny Dadonov is slated to be the new top line RW, and if he, Barkov, and Huberdeau are healthy the Panthers should be rock solid in first line production.
Yes Jagr puts butts in the seats, which the Panthers need, and is a crowd favorite wherever he goes. But it was time to turn the page to Tallon's vision of this team. Two seasons ago Jagr was a big part of 103 points and the most successful season in franchise history. But Father Time ticks fast in the mid-40s and it has been decided to move on.
There will be multiple new, young, fast, hungry players in this lineup opening night. While Jagr would have been a great mentor to the new blood, mentorship only goes so far in a win-now league that centers around speed.
Jagr's mark on the organization will last for years to come, and he was better than expected in his time in the Sunshine State.
Hopefully it's not over for him the NHL, as he is one of the most unique athletes that have ever played professional sports.
Dan Spiegel
Credentialed Florida Panthers Media
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