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Penguins offer one-year deal to Jaromir Jagr

The Penguins have offered former NHL star Jaromir Jagr a one-year contract, and expect to hear a decision from his agent on Wednesday.
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New York Rangers winger Jaromir Jagr waits for a faceoff against the Pittsburgh Penguins with a minute left in the final period during Game 3 of their NHL Eastern Conference semi-finals hockey series in New York

PITTSBURGH — The Penguins have offered former NHL star Jaromir Jagr a one-year contract, and expect to hear a decision from his agent on Wednesday.

Jagr, 39, was a Pittsburgh draft pick in 1990, and helped lead the Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships. The franchise’s hope is that he accepts the offer, plays at least one season in Pittsburgh, and then retires with the team he started with.

The deal is worth a reported US$2 million.

Jagr, who played 17 seasons in the NHL with the Penguins, Capitals and Rangers, has played the past three years in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. The six-foot-three, 243-pound forward has 1,599 career points in the NHL, to go along with the 1999 Hart Trophy as the league MVP.

He was a Hart finalist five other times, and is an eight-time all-star. Jagr’s agent is former NHL player Petr Svoboda.

On Monday, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma addressed the media on several topics, including Jagr.

“I’ve been on record a few times with the media about the attributes of Jaromir Jagr, (and they) are still really good,” he said. “There are things that I think he could add to our team.”

The Penguins finished with 106 points last season, and lost out on the Atlantic Division title due to a tiebreaker with Philadelphia. Pittsburgh, playing without injured stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, then blew a 3-1 series lead to Tampa Bay, and was eliminated in Round 1.

“If Jaromir Jagr hypothetically were to fit in, I don’t think we’d have to change everything drastically for him to able to fit in,” Bylsma said. “If you watched Jaromir play in the world championships, his play down low (was) outstanding. We’re a team that wants to play in the offensive zone. There’s a speed part to our game, but it really lies largely in playing in the offensive zone and wearing teams down.

“I don’t think he has missed much of a beat in that regard to his game. Hypothetically speaking, that’s where I see him fitting in.”

Jagr, a Czech native, won an Olympic gold medal in 1998 and a bronze in 2006. He also won gold at the world championships in 2005 and 2010.

Jagr has already played 806 games in a Penguins uniform. He has 646 career NHL goals, and if he returns to the league, his career point total would make him the active leader.

Svoboda, a former defenceman for the Canadiens, Sabres, Flyers and Lightning, has been actively shopping Jagr, and the Red Wings and Penguins showed the most interest, among others.

However, the Pittsburgh offer is believed to be the only one that has been made.