Jagr bound to heat up while forging relationship with Flames’ young stars
Veteran could play a crucial role on and off the ice alongside Gaudreau, Monahan
Three games into Jaromir Jagr’s stint with the Calgary Flames and some are already suggesting the experiment is doomed to fail.
They certainly don’t think he’s worthy of top-line minutes. They’re wrong.
He may be out of breath, but he’s not out of his league or his element.
However, to help the Debbie Downers out there who choose to dabble in such debate, let’s take a look at their argument.
Based on exactly 47 shifts Jagr has taken in Flames silks, the naysayers have gone out on a limb by suggesting he’s simply too slow for today’s game.
They, like many of us who are fascinated by his arrival, have done something fans rarely do by abandoning the puck search so they can spend the majority of games simply watching his every move.
Shift after shift they fixate on the Czech star, waiting for glimpses of the magic that helps a man become the second-leading scorer in NHL lore.
So far, in 39 minutes of ice time (almost nine of those on the power play), he’s chipped in with one power-play assist and four shots on goal. Not enough, say some who vehemently disagree with elevating Jagr to the first line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan as coach Glen Gulutzan did again Monday in practice.
Never mind the fact Jagr is 45 years of age and hadn’t played alongside other humans for six months. The reality is even if he was in peak form, big men rarely show well under such scrutiny.
Even Mario Lemieux in his prime looked pedestrian away from the puck or in his own end due to his size.
Unlike jitterbugs like Gaudreau, whose games are built upon dynamic agility and speed, Jagr is a six-foot-three, 230-pound beast whose game revolves around a much more possessionbased approach.
His size prevents him from impressing on a shift-by-shift basis, with or without the puck.
Only a fool could expect a man with 24 years of NHL experience to display the form that saw him dipsy-doodle around defenders before ending a highlight-reel goal with a gloveless salute.
He’s long had to depend on his smarts and unmatched ability to protect the puck to create offence with teammates.
It will not only take time for the notoriously fit Jagr to get into NHL game shape, it will also be a while before he establishes chemistry with whomever he plays alongside.
Right now, his top-line minutes are being limited only by the fact he simply can’t stomach playing 18 or 20 minutes a night.
Once he’s able, it appears he’s destined to be the coach’s first choice to try filling the shoes Jiri Hudler wore as a perfect complement to Monahan and Gaudreau.
“He kind of reminds me of when I was playing with Huds (Hudler),” said Gaudreau, who is off to the best start of his career with nine points, including a power-play setup by Jagr. “He’s skilled, he’s smart with the puck and he can protect the puck down low like no one else. I think it’s going to be a good fit. Hopefully we can build some chemistry and go from here.”
Gulutzan started Jagr with a third-line role alongside Sam Bennett and Kris Versteeg and uses him on the power play regularly.
Even when his conditioning returns, there’s a real possibility Jagr, Curtis Lazar and Micheal Ferland will all see time on the top unit to some degree.
Either way, Jagr will continue to be given all sorts of leeway and ice time by the coach.
Naysayers need to go back to watching the game as they used to — following the puck until it inevitably finds the back of the net.
On a fair number of nights, it will get there thanks in part to Jagr.
No one should expect him to rack up 16 goals or 30 assists like he did last year in Florida for $5.5 million (which included $1.5 million in games-played bonuses).
He’s getting paid $1 million by the Flames (plus potentially another $1 million in gamesplayed bonuses) and, quite frankly, should be judged accordingly.
The game’s last remaining rock star brings so much more than just offensive potential.
Even if he doesn’t inspire much confidence for some sticklers quite yet, he provides mentorship and entertainment, among other things.
Those quick to write him off will soon start keeping their thoughts to themselves.