Normally, a trade featuring a superstar like Jaromir Jagr would be one of the blockbuster deals of the NHL season. But the agreement sending Jagr from the Washington Capitals to the New York Rangers is little more than a desperation deal by two floundering, misguided NHL teams.
After negotiations that reportedly dragged on since last June, Washington finally traded Jagr to the Rangers for winger Anson Carter. According to TSN.ca, the Capitals remain on the hook for nearly half the value Jagr's contract. He is scheduled to make $44-million over the next four years, of which Washington will pay about $20-million.
The trade demonstrates yet again how spendthrift NHL teams sabotage their rosters by handing long-term contracts to presumed superstars. The Capitals would no doubt have prefered a trade that included one of the Rangers' future stars, like center Jamie Lundmark, defenseman Fedor Tyutin or goaltender Dan Blackburn. A player of Jagr's calibre should command at least a first-rate prospect and an everyday player.
But Jagr's reputation has taken a beating during his two-and-a-half seasons in Washington. He failed to transform the team into a contender and was often accused of being moody and unmotivated. This season's results suggest that Jagr is prone to hot and cold streaks, no longer the consistent game-breaker he was during his Pittsburgh years. He completes his tenure as a Capital with 83 goals and 118 assists in 190 games. Very good numbers, but hardly Jagr-like.
Combine the declining production with a gargantuan contract, and you have a player that almost nobody wants. The Rangers were likely the only suitor, leaving the Capitals with no real bargaining power.
In Carter, Washington gets a winger who has scored over 20 goals in three of the last four seasons, but who is also considered a defensive liability (10 goals, minus-12 in 43 games this season). At least his contract - and its attendant expectations - are much more modest.
From the Rangers' perspective, they get a five-time NHL scoring champion who is just 31 years old. A happy and motivated Jagr is undoubtedly capable of recapturing his 120-point form.
But this deal could easily backfire, degenerating into the next expensive episode in the long-running farce at Madison Square Garden. Is it a good idea to add another gifted but unreliable forward to a group that includes Alexei Kovalev (10 goals, $6.6-million), Bobby Holik (12 goals, $8.85-million) and Petr Nedved (11 goals, $4.75-million)? Or another defensively suspect star to a team whose best defenseman, Brian Leetch, is currently minus-9?
Anyone watching the Rangers lately can see they need help with the mundane business of goal prevention a lot more than they need another brilliant soloist. The New York blueline, which did not scare anyone to begin with, is without two of its top performers, Greg de Vries and Darius Kasparaitus, because of serious injuries. The night before the Jagr trade, starting goaltender Mike Dunham suffered a mild concussion. Many wonder if even a healthy Dunham has what it takes to lead this team out of the wilderness.
To address the defensive situation, GM Glen Sather made another deal just before completing the Jagr trade. He sent an eighth-round draft pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets to get a minor league defenseman, Jamie Pushor. Given the ease with which opponents have been cruising to the Rangers' net lately, Pushor might prove to be the smarter acquisition.
