Jaromir Jagr To Stay with KHL Next Season: Does Anybody Care?

"The Cult of Hockey" Blog at the Edmonton Journal is reporting that Jaromir Jagr will remain in Russia with the Kontinental Hockey League next season as he is said to have signed a one-year deal with Avangard Omsk.

The question is, does anybody really care?

Jagr, arguably one of the biggest talents of the 1990s through early 2000s, has played with Avangard since 2008/09, amassing a total of 47 goals and 95 points in 106 games played.

Jagr elected to leave the NHL after the 2007/08 season, a season in which he struggled by Jagr’s standards, registering 25 goals, 46 assists and 71 points.

At the time of his departure it was widely agreed that Jagr looked to have lost a step and, and in many experts minds, had lost a little bit of the passion to play in the NHL.

Right or wrong, Jagr has chosen to play out his twilight years in Russia. Truth be told, he has nothing left to prove in the NHL, he’s done it all.

Jagr’s accomplishments include being awarded five Art Ross Trophies as the NHL’s top scorer, one Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, three Lester B. Pearson Awards (newly named the Ted Lindsay Award) as the NHL’s most outstanding player as chosen by the NHL Players Association, and a two-time Stanley Cup winner as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While it is true that Jagr left behind a proud and accomplished legacy in the NHL, there is little support for his return. Those who watched Jagr play in the Olympics watched a shadow of the player Jagr once was; he's no longer a force amongst the elite players, he is an also-ran.

We also watched Jagr get flattened by Russia’s Alexander Ovechkin at the Olympics. When is the last time you remember Jagr getting caught like that? Point is, Jagr would get humbled in the NHL, simply put. The physical play would be murder on him.

Could Jagr be a valuable second or third-line player in the NHL? Absolutely! But is that what we want to see, a Jagr re-tread?

In the end NHL fans are better off remembering Jagr for what he once was—one of the best players in NHL history. There is no need for Jagr to come back to the NHL; he has found a new home in the KHL where there is less physical play and very little pressure to perform.

The KHL is where Jagr belongs, not the NHL.

Thanks for the memories Jaromir, enjoy the KHL!

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Until next time,

Peace!

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