Sunday, May 18, 2008

Jagr Contract Talks to Begin This Week

Larry Brooks at the New York Post reports...

"...Jagr's agent and Sather are expected to commence negotiations this week after preliminary discussions in which both sides exchanged words of love, if not vows of 'til death do they part, at least not yet."

Brooks then wonders if re-signing Jagr will be holding back Drury and Gomez...

"If the commitment is made to Jagr, Drury then would either revert to his unfulfilling post as third-line center or shift to Gomez's left side. Neither is the role envisioned for the Big Moment Kid when he signed last July 1, and neither is the role likely to bring out his best.

At the same time, the money and cap space spent to retain Jagr would diminish the likelihood of the Blueshirts landing an accomplished sniper to complement Gomez."

...great to see that Sather and Jagr are already talking. I'm a big fan of seeing #68 back in a blueshirt next year.

...having said that, I do agree with Brooks that this might be holding Drury and Gomez back for another year. In an effort to stop that from happening, Sather should sit down with Jagr and ask him about taking the "C" away and giving it to Drury to begin the transition.

No comments: