There has been a lot of discussion lately about where Jaromir Jagr will play hockey next season. According to Larry Brooks at the New York Post, New York will not be that place. Brooks is reporting that the Rangers did not reach out to Jagr to see if he would be interested in coming back to New York. Jagr believes that if he was desired by the Rangers that they would call him and so the reunion that many fans have been hoping for appears to be officially off the table.
"I don't want to put this the wrong way, but teams that want me and think I can help them have been calling me, and the Rangers never called, so I don't think they would want me," Jagr told The Post by phone last night from his home in the Czech Republic.
"I don't want to be a guy who says, 'Do you need me; do you want me?' It's not like I'm looking for a job," No. 68 said. "Teams know I'm serious about coming back. If Glen thought I could help, he would have told me.
The main contenders for Jagr appear to
be the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. Those two places are better for Jagr and the
Rangers are better not making the move for him this season. Jagr can still contribute at the NHL level,
but with Detroit and Pittsburgh he can do it in a role that better suits his
current ability level. With the Rangers,
Jagr would be expected to be much of what he was before he went to the KHL
before the last three seasons and that is not fair to anyone. In terms of position the Rangers are not a
fit either as New York has Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan already here to play
right wing. Jagr was great for the
Rangers while he was here, but both sides have come to the proper conclusion
that going back for the 2011-12 season would be the wrong move.
