Trade Rumors and Free Agent TalkTrade rumors, transactions, and free agent talk. Rumors must contain the word RUMOR in post title. Proposals must contain the word PROPOSAL in post title.
The Blue Jackets, looking for top six forward help even before they traded franchise winger Rick Nash in July, attempted to make a splash in free agency by signing an NHL legend.
The Jackets extended a one-year, $4.2 million offer to future Hall-of-Fame winger Jaromir Jagr, The Dispatch has learned. GM Scott Howson confirmed the offer, but didn’t wish to comment further. Jagr, who turned 40 in February, signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Dallas Stars on July 3.
Blue Jackets senior adviser Craig Patrick, who drafted Jagr with the No. 5 overall pick in 1990 when he was GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins, would have had a heavy hand in the decision to make Jagr an offer.
This is interesting for two reasons: #1. Columbus obviously thought that their $4.2 million offer would be the highest, not imagining teams would go higher than that! and #2. It shows that Columbus isn't attempting a tank job and are trying to improve their team for this season.
That would have been SUCH a weird signing. Doesn't seem to make sense from either side. I know Jagr is known for chasing the money, but you'd have to think even he would give up a little bit to go somewhere else.
I would have liked him to do that, would've meant alot for that franchise to have that, but they had Sergei Fedorov already, and Rick Nash who was their legend, but Rick would've stayed if the team could contend.
GMs are generally not that concerned with how a team does 5+ years down the line, and this is ESPECIALLY true for GMs who are at a high risk of getting fired (like Howson). If Howson loses his job with the Jackets, I don't see any team rushing to hire him, he's been awful there. Nothing gets you fired faster than losing, so of course Howson is trying to make the team win now, his career depends on it.
I definitely see them being awful, though, and I'd be shocked if Howson still has his job in a year.
Oh, I don't know about that. Anyone who saw Pittsburgh in the early part of last decade knows that was a team that was not built to win right away.
Please tell me you are not really that ignorant to believe that?
Pittsburgh was struggling a lot financially after filing for bankruptcy in 1999. Even after Mario bought the team attendance was never that great and after he got hurt in the 03 season I believe it was it really hurt them. They had no money to spend on higher end talent and made due with who they had. To say they risked the possibility of having to move the franchise just to "tank" for Crosby and geno is beyond ignorant and childish to say.
Last edited by gdsmack267: 09-05-2012 at 06:53 PM.
That would have been SUCH a weird signing. Doesn't seem to make sense from either side. I know Jagr is known for chasing the money, but you'd have to think even he would give up a little bit to go somewhere else.
Seems to me it makes plenty of sense for Columbus. They're a lottery team with or without him, but they would have been able to turn him into a 2nd round pick or so at the deadline had he signed.
That would have been SUCH a weird signing. Doesn't seem to make sense from either side. I know Jagr is known for chasing the money, but you'd have to think even he would give up a little bit to go somewhere else.
Makes sense from Columbus' side.
nice stable presence to mentor the huge youth movement going on their, as well as a reliable player to eat up ice time while some of the youth is developing. Plus with their bad luck with Russians and Eastern Europeans, and their lack of a European presence in general recently, having A big Czech name (and former Russian League player) come by would be good for them. Having a big FREE AGENT player come in and sign for them period would be good.
Not really all that surprised. I mean, the Jackets traded Nash and even before knew they probably needed to take some risks and try to improve in any way possible. A landing like that could have made them better if it happened so Howson tried and failed (obviously). Can't knock him for trying. You never know what could happen. Would have been weird to see Jagr go there anyway though but can't blame Howson for trying to make a splash. His team and his own job could depend on it.
I bet there are "reasons" for such a situation. I also bet knowing those "reasons" make this comment seem uninformed.
Jeez, you guys are touchy. Still, I know the team was poor, but there were better options than the players who were on the ice. Pittsburgh knew what they were doing when they finished near the bottom of the league, accrue top young assets and let them grow together or find someone with money to bring in free agents. Just like Washington shortly thereafter or most recently Edmonton, there were factors that lead them to the bottom of the league, but those weren't teams who were designed to be playoff teams, those were teams who were designed to accrue good young assets.
Makes sense from Columbus' side.
nice stable presence to mentor the huge youth movement going on their, as well as a reliable player to eat up ice time while some of the youth is developing. Plus with their bad luck with Russians and Eastern Europeans, and their lack of a European presence in general recently, having A big Czech name (and former Russian League player) come by would be good for them. Having a big FREE AGENT player come in and sign for them period would be good.
Bad luck? I would say that Fedor Tyutin, Nikita Nikitin, Vinny Prospal, Rotislav Klesla, Jakub Voracek, Jan Hejda, and David Vyborny have all been pretty effective players in Jackets' history. Also, the following Europeans are currently in the Blue Jackets' system
Artem Anisimov
Vaclav Prospal
Tim Erixon
Nikita Nikitin
Fedor Tyutin
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anton Blomqvist
Tomas Kubalik
Anton Forsberg
Maksim Mayorov
Thomas Larkin
Lukas Sedlak
Oscar Dansk
Joonas Korpisalo
Daniel Zaar
Makes sense from Columbus' side.
nice stable presence to mentor the huge youth movement going on their, as well as a reliable player to eat up ice time while some of the youth is developing. Plus with their bad luck with Russians and Eastern Europeans, and their lack of a European presence in general recently, having A big Czech name (and former Russian League player) come by would be good for them. Having a big FREE AGENT player come in and sign for them period would be good.
You do know that Columbus has more Russian players than any other team in the NHL, right?
^ I thought it was great when Carter got traded, I remember hearing that they would swap out the name band for Johnson on the #7 jersey at the team store. The Nash to Jagr transformation might take a little more creativity, but it's probably doable...
