....and Happy Canada Day. Rather fitting that the 2 events coincide with each other since more than half the NHL players hail from Canada. Free agency began at noon today and it has already been full of movers and shakers. Short on time right now, so I will go into more depth tomorrow on all sorts of moves for other teams but for now, a Penguins centric post.
#jagrwatch ended the most bitter way it could for a Pens fan- he took the money ($3.3 to be exact) for his 1 year NHL stint and bolted to the Penguins instate rivals, the Flyers. I have a friend who is a Flyers fan and was baffled by this. I really wonder if the Flyers are having an identity crisis or are lost in which direction to go or who they even are. All this big moves don't always mean success. In fact, sometimes too many moves can be bad. A west coast goalie that cost them two players that figured to be in the mix for the next decade after signing contracts for 10+ years last season. Going to be interesting to say the least and it's seeming like Jagr's ego is still intact so not sure the locker is ego free as they hoped after shipping out Carter and Richards. From one problem child to the next.
Did Jagr go to the Flyers to piss off the Pens or get his star turn on 24/7 since they are in the Winter Classic this year? Did he ever really want to go back to the Pens and was just feeding Mario and Co lines about his heart being there? There are rumors that the Pens are done with Jagr in general and pretty much this was the end of any relationship. I had figured once the Pens and Wings withdrew, he was going back to the KHL, but the Flyers were a curve ball. I have even more respect for Shero to pull the plug than before (is that possible?) and admire the Wings for doing the same. Two great teams that will probably be better off without the circus of Jagr and his agent Peter Svoboda, who at one point pointed admitted he had no clue where his client was. Unreal. Have fun at the Flyers circus.
Speaking of the circus, Mr. Max "SHHHHHHH"Talbot is joining the Philly gang. I swore on 24/7 he said "I hate them" (the Flyers) but Philly made him an offer he couldn't refuse to the tune of $9million for 5 years. Money and years he was never going to see in Pitt. I wish him well, and hope someone on the Penguins "shhhes" him this year during the Flyers game.
Tyler Kennedy agreed to a 2 year $4million deal to return to the Penguins which is awesome. He's only 24 so now he can prove to the team this season was legit and not just due to the plague of injuries the team had. He will only be 26 when he's due for the next contract and will still be a RFA. A detail that I'm sure Shero did not overlook. He's no fool.
Mike Rupp meanwhile has left the Steel City for the lights of Broadway.$4.5 million and 3 years is an awesome contract for him. Good luck to him. They gave him money the Penguins just don't have to commit (and at least he didn't join the Flyers). It sucks but Shero is awesome at managing the cap and he knows he has Malkin and Crosby coming up in the next few years and needs to have the money around in case the cap goes back down with the next CBA. He's simply a genius.
Next question is: Who is over 6ft tall left on the Penguins roster? Orpik, Malkin, Engelland and Lovejoy come to mind. Engelland is the biggest toughest guy we have right now. I'm sure Shero is aware of this detail and will fix it.
In Shero we trust. Till tomorrow....
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