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Well Pittsburgh Penguins fans, it looks like #Jagrwatch has come to end. Sportingnews.com is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have withdrawn their offer for Jaromir Jagr.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have withdrawn their offer for Jaromir Jagr, the team said in a release.
Jaromir Jagr will not be returning to Pittsburgh, GM Ray Shero said in a team release. (AP Photo)
"We made what we thought was a very fair contract offer to Jaromir on Tuesday, based on his stated interest of returning to the Penguins," GM Ray Shero said.
"We made our best offer from the start, given our salary cap structure, in an attempt to facilitate a deal. But now, after several days, with an extended time frame for making a decision, and additional teams getting involved, we have decided to move in a different direction. It was never our intention to get involved in a free agent bidding war, and we have to focus on our team.
Jagr, who is contemplating an NHL return after three seasons in Russia's KHL, will make his decision "in the next few days," agent Petr Svoboda told ESPN.com on Thursday night -- and “a lot more teams” other than the Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens, Svoboda said, are in on the bidding.
So does anyone else feel like they just completely wasted the last 48 hours? I know I do. I wanted Jagr to come back to the Penguins. Unlike most Pens' fans now a days, I actually watch and cheered for the team before Sidney Crosby came to town. I was a huge Jagr fan. Most of his "actions" were blown out of proportion. He had to leave Pittsburgh, the team was bankrupt and he was the best player in the game. How in the hell were the Penguins supposed to afford him.
Now with the news that he's not coming back, I find myself frustrated and disappointed. I wanted Jagr. I wanted to see him play with Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. I wanted a happy ending. I guess it was all too good to be true.
Now comes the hard part, defending Jagr. The Jagr haters are out in full force. Saying that he can take his legacy and shove it. Those some people are calling Jagr immature. Well you sir are immature. Jagr OWES THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH NOTHING. He won 5 scoring titles here, along with two Stanley Cups. He entertained us for over a decade.
Sure Jagr isn't the best person ever. But he's not a criminal. Are you a Steeler's fan? Do you cheer for James Harrison? Because he beats women. Sure Jagr has a gambling problem? What he does and did with his money is his business. He earned it. Jagr is the second best player in franchise history. One of the most gifted hockey players of all-time.
Now I’m hearing guys like Ron Cook saying that they hope his jersey doesn't get retired. Who the F is Ron Cook to say that. You don't deserve to have your own radio show. Jagr certainly deserves his jersey to be retired. If you think otherwise than you're an ignorant piece of yinzer trash. If they do retire his jersey one day, and you're there and you boo, then I wish nothing but bad or you and your family.
People saying that Jagr showed his true colors. I'm glad we have so many psychiatrists in Pittsburgh. I'm glad everyone understands what goes through Jagr's mind. I'm glad that people in Pittsburgh are so selfish and quick to judge the people that entertained them night in and night out.
I for one will never forget how much Jagr awed me when he was here. Truly a special player.
As for the hockey part of it, the Penguins signed Tyler Kennedy to a two-year deal worth 2 mil a year. Yay! Kennedy is a decent role player who knows the system and should score 15-20 goals next year. I wouldn't have gave him over 1.75 million. I would have offered Jagr at least 2.5 million.
I keep hearing uneducated hockey fans saying that Jagr wouldn't have helped the team more than Kennedy and Rupp. That's stupid. Jagr would have flourished here, even at the age of 39. Jagr is a superstar, thinks like a superstar, and would have flourished with fellow superstars, Malkin and Crosby. Jagr would have also helped the power play out dramatically.
Now realistically the Penguins are still a powerhouse team without Jagr. Crosby can still play with Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. Malkin can play with James Neal and Kennedy. Staal can center Matt Cooke and Eric Tangradi or Dustin Jeffery. They still have a good blue-line and a franchise, top 10 goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Penguins will be fine without Jagr. Sorry if I'm disappointed that Jagr isn't coming back. It would have been really cool. It would have been fun to watch. Oh well. It's over now. I wish nothing but the best for Jagr as long as he doesn't sign with the Flyers. I hope that one day he can get his jersey retired here. Thanks for the memories Jaromir.
you still have the blinders on, bro. I think you are dwelling too much on the fact that he left, but forgetting HOW he left. He quit on the team. He was a cancer in the locker room and he bitched and moaned and complained to reporters about how this city and the team were killing him, etc. He is a primadonna head case who would have hurt the team's chemistry, just like he did back in '01.
ReplyDeleteHe was a superstar, but he's not anymore. He was not going to put up the video game stats he put up with Lemieux. This is a guy that is averaging about apoint in the KHL where Morozov is a stud! Remember how much HE helped our power play?