All of a sudden (finally), the Jaromir Jagr free agent market could be heating up.
Just days after Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman suggested the Calgary Flames "have kind of looked at" signing the 45-year-old forward, Jagr's agent, Petr Svoboda, told News 1130 Sports' Rick Dhaliwal he is "working around the clock and will get something done."
At least three NHL teams have either unofficially or reportedly pulled themselves out of the Jagr sweepstakes, which haven't exactly elicited hordes of interest since the former Florida Panthers winger became a free agent July 1. There are the Panthers themselves, who apparently backtracked on a promise to offer Jagr a new contract and are now firmly looking another direction with Radim Vrbata in the fold. And then there are the Anaheim Ducks, a team Friedman said was not interested in Jagr this week; and the Los Angeles Kings, whose general manager, Rob Blake, said Jagr doesn't "fit in" there.
But Jagr has apparently maintained his desire to play in the NHL in 2017-18, even amid his own half-joking remarks about playing for his own Czech team to start the season.
No one should be surprised, either. At age 45, the longtime forward and second highest-scoring player in league history, played in all 82 games for the Panthers in 2016-17, finishing the season with 46 points. In the last two seasons, Jagr has missed just three combined games.
