Jagr might return for 24th season
Winger, 45, says he likes playing for young Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. —— Although the underachieving Florida Panthers are watching the Stanley Cup playoffs instead of participating in them, general manager Dale Tallon believes the talent-laden, youthful roster only needs a few tweaks to get back on the winning track.
While Tallon is busy interviewing coaching candidates to succeed interim coach Tom Rowe, he’s also in the process of determining whether or not 45-yearold icon and impending freeagent right wing Jaromir Jagr can still contribute to a contending team.
“It’s a matter of what’s best for Jaromir,” Tallon told SportsNet Canada last Saturday. “He had another good year, 46 points and played all 82 games without Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau.
“If it makes sense for both of us, we’ll probably do something.”
Tallon will meet with Jagr’s agent, Peter Svoboda, this week at the IIHF World Championship about a possible one-year contract, something Jagr has played on in each of the past six seasons, including a $4 million deal with Florida in 2016-17.
The Panthers aren’t expected to sign any of their own free agents, including Jagr, Jakub Kindl or Thomas Vanek before June 17, when they have to submit their protected list for the June 21 expansion draft.
While Jagr deftly avoided the issue on exit day last month, he left the door open for a return to the Panthers, where he has played the past 2 ½ years of his certain Hall of Fame career.
“I still love the game and still want to get better every day I step on the ice,” Jagr said after the Panthers were eliminated from playoff contention on March 30. “This organization was so good to me. They give me a chance; they traded for me. I love it. I play with very good talented players the last few years here. I love it and nothing has changed.”
But can the Panthers reach the playoffs and compete for a Stanley Cup with a 45-year-old as their top-line right wing?
Huberdeau and Barkov both fervently want their linemate to return. While the playmaking trio combined for 75 goals and 184 points in the franchise-best 2015-16 season, they dropped to 47 goals and 124 points this past season.
The trio only played 23 games together with Huberdeau missing the first 51 games of the season while recovering from a sliced Achilles’ tendon, and Barkov missing 21 games with a back injury.
Jagr, one of five Panthers players to play in all 82 games, was fourth on the team in goals (16) and points (46), while tying for the team lead with eight power-play goals.
He led the team with 25 even-strength assists while playing with minor leaguers and rookies such as Seth Griffith, Jared McCann and Denis Malgin for long stretches of the season.
Only Barkov (plus-21 ice rating) and Jagr (plus-2) finished with a positive plus-minus among Panthers who played more than 21 games.
Jagr’s shot percentage plummeted from 18.9 percent, sixth best in the league in 2015-16 season, to a careerlow 8.8 percent this past season. He attributed that to losing too much weight and strength last offseason in an effort to gain speed.
But with the NHL trending toward smaller, speedy skilled forwards, could Jagr, who is more of a lumbering, puck-possessing forward, be slowing down the Panthers’ offense, specifically Huberdeau and Barkov?
“Absolutely, you’re going to worry about that,” said an NHL scout. “But I watched them most of the year and even when Huberdeau was hurt and it was him and Barkov with [minor leaguers], he had energy on the ice from the beginning of the year to the end.
“I never saw him when his energy was poor. He’s a phenomenon and is amazing how effective he can still be. He has great hockey sense, has a fabulous stick and can carry pucks as good as anybody in the league with that 230-pound [frame].”
SportsNet analytics contributor Stephen Burch said Jagr was, “head and shoulders above,” his teammates as their top driver of shot attempts and expected goals (goals above replacement). Jagr was ranked 12th in the NHL regarding his impact during 5-on-5s on both ends of the ice.
SportsNet analytics contributor Andrew Berkshire said Jagr is still a “transition beast,” boasting the secondbest Corsi (enhanced statistic used to measure shot attempt differential while at even strength) at 54.9 percent and second-best goal-differential (55.8 percent) on the team, both trailing Barkov.
Jagr led the team in successful controlled defensive zone exits (8.2 every 20 minutes at 5-on-5), and was tied for first in scoring chances per 20 minutes (2.6)
The NHL scout said that Barkov, 21, and Jagr have a special on-ice intuitive bond that should certainly last another season.
“When I filed my reports the games that Jagr played exceptionally well were almost always when Barkov was his centerman,” the scout said. “When Barkov got hurt, his game fell off a little bit. They’re really in sync and he was a very effective player and still produced.
“The fear is always going to be is he going to fall off, but for a short-term signing, I don’t see how you can lose.
“He looks after himself. Barkov’s back and the only other negative is if they had a young first-line player to step in. I don’t see that. It makes it a no-brainer.”