NHL Trade Rumor: Jaromir Jagr to the Penguins?

Dejan Kovacevic of “DK on Pittsburgh Sports” reported Friday that Evgeni Malkin was approached by Penguin management to gauge whether future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr would be a good fit at wing on Malkin’s line, to which Malkin “affirmed.”  While that doesn’t mean a trade is imminent, it does provide some smoke that Jagr’s first NHL organization is interested in reuniting with number 68 for the stretch run.

The move makes perfect sense for the Penguins who have been decimated by injuries recently and find themselves in a dog-fight in the Metropolitan Division.  With injuries to Malkin, Blake Comeau, and Pascal Dupuis up front (and apparently Sidney Crosby has a nagging injury), the Penguins need additional firepower if they expect to make a deep playoff push.  General Manager Jim Rutherford recently added David Perron to bolster the Penguins’ wings, but the team is still awfully thin at the position.

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There’s still some bounce in those soon-to-be 43 year old legs of Jaromir Jagr.  He’s second on the Devils with 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) and while he doesn’t have the motor he did ten years ago, he is still a puck magnet who uses his size as effectively as anyone else in the league.  His hands never left him, and his shot is still sneaky good.  Sure, he isn’t going to carry your offense anymore, but as a second-line winger who can also add to the powerplay, you can do a lot worse than Jaromir Jagr.

The good news for the Penguins is he’s only signed through the end of this year, and more than half of his $5,500,000 salary has been paid by the Devils.  He’s the prototypical “rent-a-player” who can be added for a quick boost with zero commitment beyond the season.  The cost to acquire shouldn’t be significant which would allow the Penguins to retain their best assets in case they want to add an impact defenseman at the deadline.  With Olli Maatta out for the season and Christian Ehrhoff possibly concussed, it’s an area where the Penguins may be looking to fortify real soon.

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For the Devils who should be realizing now that a full rebuild is in order, they need to cash in Jaromir Jagr (and other veterans) for either a decent prospect, mid-round draft pick, or both, depending on how many teams show interest in Jagr.  The Devils have some solid young defensemen to work with in the organization, but could use as much help as possible at the forward position.  Jagr is their most valuable chip to cash in by the March 2nd trade deadline and can’t be wasted.

While his contract didn’t include a no-trade clause, one would think that the Devils would speak to Jagr before trading him to ensure he is comfortable with the situation.  There’s no reason to think Jagr would have any qualms about a return to Pittsburgh, and the Devils should have no problem trading him within the division if the offer on the table is reasonable (plus the nostalgia would be tremendous and maybe even Jagr could be talked into growing the mullet again).

A line of Malkin centering Jagr and Comeau would be a nightmare for opposing defenses.  That’s three big bodies who can protect the puck and possess it for large chunks of time in the offensive zone.  Couple that with another scoring line of Crosby, Perron, and Chris Kunitz and what was once a lack of firepower on the wings in the top six is now a strength.  It doesn’t guarantee anything come playoff time, but it sure hell does make the Penguins a much more difficult out come the spring.

There’s going to be plenty of chatter over the next month leading up to the trade deadline, most of which will never come to fruition.  But if you’re a fan of the good ol’ days of watching a young Jaromir Jagr streaking down the wing with the Penguin on his chest getting ready to take on a helpless defenseman, you just may be in luck soon enough.