[Rumour] UPD: Jagr confirms Flames have interest in him.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I had to vote no. One of the rare moments I'm pessimistic about the Flames. Just seems like it would be our luck that he's had great health and production forever and the moment he signs here he'll have neither. I'd love to be wrong though.

[codynw]

Why is Jagr only worth $2.5M or less to some of you? What other UFA with 46 and 66 points in the last two seasons would sign for that?

[Gaudfather]

Originally Posted by codynw

Why is Jagr only worth $2.5M or less to some of you? What other UFA with 46 and 66 points in the last two seasons would sign for that?

UFA's that are 45 years old, not 30 years old. Don't forget you can pad a contract with bonus payments on hitting certain incentives.

[Toonage]

Its also August 23rd. The longer this goes, the less he makes (if he wants to resume playing in the NHL).

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by savardandjokinen

Not just based on reputation, he's the perfect guy to have. Still can score, and a veteran presence.
Gaudreau-Monahan-Ferland
Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik
Versteeg-Bennett-Jagr

That would be a great top 9

Would be nice having Versteeg and Jagr between a developing Bennett. I think he would have a breakout season with that combo.

[Imported_Aussie]

Rumoured amount is 3.7M, and if so, I would hope there is a part of that in bonuses.
Basically ensures that Bennett is on a bridge and that the Flames roll with a 22 man roster, barring a trade of a big contract (Stajan, Brouwer)

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by marchmallow

I think this is something we could see more of in the NHL in coming years. Why not rest players on some road trips/back to backs, especially when you have young guys pushing to get NHL playing time like we do. Not sure if the Flames will be the team to start doing it but it would make sense with Jagr, and star players as well in the future against some weaker teams. It would be good to get some rotation going and keep our top guys fresher for when they are most needed in the playoffs, as long as it doesn't effect our position in the standings too much.

I'm not as familiar with the NBA but looking at something like football and soccer where players are regularly rested for injuries, fatigue, etc, the NHL's roster limit of 23 players, call-up limitations (number of times and waivers) and relative parity means that you can't really afford to let a guy key player take a break unless it's absolutely necessary.

Originally Posted by codynw

Why is Jagr only worth $2.5M or less to some of you? What other UFA with 46 and 66 points in the last two seasons would sign for that?

Beyond the need for cap flexibility which one poster mentioned, it's probably the age which still scares people since this is pretty unpredictable territory.

[burn_this_city]

I think he's worth $3.5ish on a one year deal.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by codynw

Why is Jagr only worth $2.5M or less to some of you? What other UFA with 46 and 66 points in the last two seasons would sign for that?

It's not just worth but also cap space the Flames have. And there is a reason he is still unsigned.

[Gaskal]

I don't think that 3.7m speculated number is all base salary. My guess is $2.5m base salary + performance bonuses (600k if he scores 40pts, another 600k if he plays 65+ games) similar to Iginla's 1 year with Boston.

[Flamenspiel]

nm

[StrykerSteve]

I've been lukewarm on the idea of signing an older player like Jagr, Doan or Iginla. I just prefer to see young players be given a shot.

That said, if they do sign Jagr, and young player can't outplay him, then I don't want them on the roster. So go ahead, sign him and let the chips fall where they may. There can be no open spots on this team, if a guy comes into camp and dominates, is the best player on the ice, the team will make room. If that means burying someone on a one way deal making substantial cash, who cares.

Ice the best possible team, if that includes Jagr, let's do it.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Gaudfather

UFA's that are 45 years old, not 30 years old. Don't forget you can pad a contract with bonus payments on hitting certain incentives.

Jagr's not asking for term, is he? It's one year. If he's done, he's done, but all the indicators tell us Jaromir Jagr has gas in the tank.

[Gaudfather]

More on the Jagr story - nothing to see here according to Jim Matheson - LOL.

But, the fact that Calgary seems interested might not be enough. I had a chance to sit down one-on-one with The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson, and he believes Jagr is being particular about where he plays. Matheson was surprised the Montreal Canadiens haven’t made a pitch and he believes if they did, it might be a match. He also believes Jagr doesn’t want to come out west and that rules out Anaheim, Calgary and Edmonton. In fact, Matheson has it on good authority the Edmonton Oilers aren’t interested in the sure-fire Hall of Famer.

Chiarelli has seen first hand what Jagr offers having worked with him in Boston. The belief is Jagr is too slow for an Oilers team that wants to play a speedy game and too often Jagr drops the pace of the game to play his style. Chiarelli feels Jagr’s game is not suited for the Oilers.

http://thehockeywriters.com/jagr-to-...-kerfoot-more/

[djsFlames]

The fact remains that the right wing on this team requires some beefing up.

Either you bring in Jagr to help or you depend on Ferland growing and Foo surprising, and I'm not crazy about the odds of the latter.

[Toonage]

I'd take a jab at Matheson but then Mark Spector would show up at my house, all irate.

[Vinny01]

Matheson making comments like that is similar to Francis saying something about the Alberta teams. They are speculating and know nothing.

[Redliner]

If this happens, it really can't be for any more than $2.5M or the risk isn't worth it.

For those saying there is no risk on a 1 yr deal, there is more at stake than just the relationship between dollar amounts and point production. It's not really a matter of whether or not $3.7M gets you 40+ points or not, the bigger issue is that adding that salary puts you uncomfortably close to the cap and could severely limit your flexibility later in the season. I'm not even talking about the Flames not being able to add a player at the deadline, I'm more worried about their ability to ice a full roster if the injuries start to pile up. Does anyone else remember the 2008-09 season when the Flames ended up in cap hell due to injuries on the blueline and were forced to start games with only 15 skaters because they couldn't afford to bring anyone else in? That probably cost them the NW division that year.

Having Jagr would be pretty cool but it has to make sense.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

No doubt Jagr has a terrific work ethic when it comes to fitness, but I think the criticism is that he may not be committed to staying within the hockey system GG has instituted. I think the concern is (which I share), that he is looking to pad his individual stats, and perhaps not play the 5 man system that would be crucial to Flames team success.

Not sure if it is an entirely fair concern, but perhaps Cali can again provide some insight as to the systems in Florida. I would suspect last year was basically a gong show with Rowe, but perhaps the Gallant system is similar to what the Flames use? I really don't know.

Hey all,

Sorry, I've been locked down in faculty meetings for this entire week, so I'm catching up to some questions.

I'll start with the question from Toonage (I think) who asked about Jagr's playoff time. Someone else posted the he still got plenty of minutes, but I noticed that the entire line was neutralized pretty well by the Islanders defenders (one of which was Hamonic who did yeoman's work, the other very effective defenseman for them was Boychuk). Tavares was also a beast in that series, and played against Barkov quite a bit, doing a good job of limiting his chances. However, the Barkov line (Jagr included) still managed to create some offensive chances, but when they did, Greiss stood on his head and shut it down. Greiss, Tavares, and the defense really carried the Isles in that round, and I don't put much stock in the lack of production from Jagr or that line.

As for the Panther's systems: Under Gallant, Jagr had no problem with his responsibilities defensively, although the responsibilities of wingers is somewhat limited, but they often covered for pinching defensemen (Brian Campbell, Aaron Ekblad) at the back of the offensive zone and the neutral zone. They would also move down the to the half wall defensively when necessary in order to help strip the puck from attacking forwards. In rare cases, they needed to protect the high slot from dangerous shots.

Gallant's system focused on the defensive zone in excruciating detail, but he was also a solid offensive strategist. He relied on defensemen to help move the puck up-ice and often carry it into the offensive zone if their skills dictated it. But he also would dump and chase and then work a cycle offensively if that's all that was available. The team wasn't a Corsi darling under him or anything, but they still managed to control the puck often when they were playing the system well. Quick transitions led to career years for players like Smith, who can score off the rush. In the end, the team was very good defensively, decent offensively, but tended to struggle on special teams, largely because they weren't as experienced as other teams.

Gallant was also a great players coach, and yet was a tough enough task master to get the team to play the system effectively. He has an ability to make sure guys feel like they're contributing, even if it's only as a 4th liner. He also tailors his approach depending on the player, and often earns their trust without much trouble. He's going to be very good for Vegas.

Gallant was fired because he didn't line up his gameplan with the advanced analytics guys, and when the results weren't there right away (to be expected when you overhaul the lineup as much as they did) they canned him based on his unwillingness to adapt his system to the players they brought in. It was a total failure of job specification, as the analytics guys were basically trying to coach as well as do their job.

There had been whispers of friction between Gallant and the front office over the latter’s emphasis on advanced analytics, which dictated some of the controversial offseason moves such as trading rugged defenseman Erik Gudbranson to the Vancouver Canucks for unproven 20-year-old forward Jared McCann, now in the minors.

“There was definitely a philosophical divide and conflict,” Rowe added, referring to analytics. “We wanted to develop a fast team, move the puck quickly and attack the net, and pressure the puck in all three zones. Gerard wanted a little more size. We decided to go in a different direction. Were we on the same page every day? No. Our philosophies were different and did weigh into the decision that was tough to make.”

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/f...128-story.html

Not that I was super fond of Gudbranson, but he's clearly better than a minor league level forward. That was just one of many moves that made the team smaller, weaker, and less defensively focused. That's the major reason why the team sucked last year. They were definitely a bit more mobile and a bit more quick, but not so much that they could overwhelm the opposition. Rowe definitely WAS a bad coach, but that's more likely because he wasn't very detail focused and made very few tweaks to the system or playing style. Mostly, the team struggled to exit their zone, and that's largely because Rowe's system didn't generate any speed out of the zone or through the neutral zone. Pretty easy to defend when you have to dump and chase all game. Jagr had enough skill and brains to create offense despite that joke of a system.

“We want to go into more of an area zone coverage type system,” Rowe said. “We don’t think we need to make a ton [of changes] right now. We will as time goes on. Defensively, we want to fix that area first.

So, a super-passive defensive zone system similar to Hartley. We all know how well that worked out. If Jagr deviated from the system, it's because there wasn't much of a system under Rowe, and it became a very loose playing style. His hockey IQ allowed him to fulfill his responsibilities defensively, and then go on the attack in his own fashion, often being the only really effective offensive player besides Trocheck, and Barkov/Huberdeau when they were healthy.

Hope that helps.

[Iggy_12]

So this guy called Foo before it happened so maybe some credibility? Who knows but interesting nontheless

https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...ames_is_close/