As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to scour the discount depths of NHL free agency for forward gems, one of hockey’s greatest legends, Jaromir Jagr, has announced his availability.
During day one of the free agent frenzy, Jaromir Jagr took to Twitter with this post:
“NHL GMs- I am free agent, once again. 6,3 265 … 50 years old ,slow, but strong and good hands. Can bring experience and like to play only home games. Call me anytime.”
Experience indeed! Jaromir Jagr has played 1733 NHL regular season games which is the fourth most in NHL history. He’s also played 208 NHL playoff games and has two Stanley Cup rings over 18 NHL seasons.
With 1921 points, Jagr has the second most career points in NHL history. He has won five Art Ross Trophies as the NHL’s leading scorer and one Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player.
Jaromir Jagr last played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames during the 2017-18 season where he put up seven points in 22 games. The season prior he spent with the Florida Panthers where he scored 16 goals and 46 points in a full 82 game season.
Jagr has played the last five seasons with Rytíři Kladno in the Czech Republic. Last season he had eight goals and 19 point in 43 games.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had success bringing in older veterans like Jason Spezza and Mark Giordano. Doesn’t a 50 year-old NHL legend like Jaromir Jagr deserve a shot?
Will Jaromir Jagr Play for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Any Other NHL Team?
Is Jaromir Jagr just joking around? His post on Twitter did end with him saying “No joke,” but there was also a winky face emoji in there too. The bit about only playing home games is hilarious too.
Honestly, it seems like Jaromir Jagr is half joking. If the Toronto Maple Leafs or any other NHL team offered him a contract, he wouldn’t hesitate to pack his bags and head to North America for a chance to continue his NHL career.
On the other hand, I don’t think Jaromir Jagr is expecting that kind of opportunity. He may honestly think he can still play a role in the NHL but knows that he may be the only one who thinks he can.
It would be amazing to see Jaromir Jagr lace up the skates in the NHL one more time, especially if he could still play at that level. I wouldn’t want to see him play on the Toronto Maple Leafs if he’s a liability, but it would be great to see him on another NHL team either way.
(Stats from QuantHockey, Hockey-Reference and Wikipedia)
Alex Ovechkin (3rd) passed Jaromir Jagr (4th) in NHL career goals last season and now has a 14 goal lead. It would be amazing to see Jagr return to the NHL to put up a fight.