Photo Credit: Ken Goldfield/NY Daily News

It’s August, which means the hockey world is beginning to gear up for the preseason in hot anticipation of their new rosters. One mystery that still hangs in the air like an Islanders fan yapping about how their fourth line is the best in hockey remains however: Jaromir Jagr is unsigned. It’s a truly bizarre thing, and although there may be a few reasons teams are hesitant to sign him there are also plenty of good reasons for a team like the Rangers to add the living legend to their roster.

Let’s get it out of the way right now – no he is not going to score as many goals as he did his last go around with the Rangers. Last season he put up 8 goals and 25 assists at even strength, with an additional 8 goals and 5 assists coming on the powerplay. That’s still a pretty respectable total for a player his age however, and there’s no doubt that he’d be playing in a depth role on the third or fourth line were he to return to NY. So while he won’t be quite as magic as he was during his first tenure with the Rangers, he won’t have to be and could still put up some solid points anyway.

What’s more noteworthy is the way that he still drives possession. Last season with Florida he had a 55.08 CF% at even strength, with a 6.47% CF relative to his team mates. So not only does he help his team get more shots generally while he’s on the ice, but compared to the rest of the Panthers last year he was significantly better than most. Playing on the third or fourth line with linemates like Michael Grabner, Jimmy Vesey, or even potentially Lias Andersson (sorry folks, just had to bring him up – I’m stoked) even if he’s not getting goals or assists himself he most certainly could help those guys with better speed and finishing ability to put points on the board.

He could also be a welcome addition on the man advantage, helping to set up shooters like Mika Zibanejad, or getting the puck to the net for guys like Rick Nash or Chris Kreider to work their magic with. His vision and hockey IQ haven’t gotten any older, only his body has, so he could definitely make the revamped powerplay even better.

Now there’s probably a couple of reasons he’s still unsigned. The first is that he’s likely asking just a little bit more money than teams are willing to pay for a guy his age, and let’s face it, even if he is good he’s just not young. Teams are looking to add youth and Jagr doesn’t fit that mold, and although he as of yet hasn’t been hit by the aging curve do you really want to be the unlucky team that finds out when he does fall off a cliff?

We can all remember how MSL tore it up in his first year as a Ranger and then dropped off significantly in performance the next – sometimes guys have it, and then lose it. He’s also just not fast, and while teams are always looking to add skill in particular they want skill that skates. This wouldn’t be a great thing for the Rangers, but he’s still clearly an effective setup man.

Overall, it would be a depth move that the Rangers make in order to free up some space to maybe trade a winger for a center. It wouldn’t supercharge out offense, but it would offer some options on the bottom six and the powerplay. The other, more important thing to consider when considering the merits of signing Jagr is this: it would be cool as hell for him to retire a Ranger.

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