Trade Rumor of the Day: Jaromir Jagr to the Islanders?

THURSDAY’S TRADE RUMOR OF THE DAY

Each Day leading up to the March 2nd trade deadline, TIOPS Hockey Insider Will DePaoli will dissect a key trade rumor circulating around the league:

The market for Jaromir Jagr

USA Today’s Kevin Allen appearing on 937 The Fan Wednesday afternoon with Joe Starkey and Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review, threw out an interesting rumor saying he spoke to someone in the know today who mentioned Jaromir Jagr landing with the New York Islanders, Allen said when asked by the hosts on where Jagr may end up.

The Islanders loaded with cap space, can easily take on Jagr’s salary and are said to be eyeing a veteran presence upfront and possibly some muscle on the backend.

Another team gaining some buzz among executives on who are monitoring Jagr is the Detroit Red Wings. NHL executives say most interest in Jagr is coming from the East, though, the Predators and Ducks are two teams being mentioned that could consider Jagr closer to the deadline.

Jagr, 42, turns 43 in February and leads the Devils with 25 points. His game has started to slip, compared to the last two seasons, averaging 1.34 points/60 5 v 5, down from 1.98 in 2013-2014.

However, Jagr remains a very strong possession player, 53.6 CF% tops on Devils, and joining a exciting Cup contender in the New York Islanders could certainly rejuvenate him, as could a return to Pittsburgh, something not on the Penguins radar at this point.

The buzz on Jagr inside the Penguins organization is any run at him would be a last minute pitch, as in deadline day, after other options fall through. He’s a player Pittsburgh’s scouts are monitoring but not a trade target at this point. Could that change? Can’t be ruled out at this point but I’m told if Pittsburgh adds another forward, they are looking for a different type than Jagr.

One Eastern Conference executive says the Devils are not even taking calls on Jagr at this point but the belief is Lou Lamoriello will try to hold out till the last minute for a second round pick.

New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks

Projected Cost to acquire Jagr: Third round pick