Power Rankings: Is This the End of the NHL Road for Jaromir Jagr?
At the age of 45, Jaromir Jagr’s second swing through the NHL may be coming to a close.
The Calgary Flames placed the forward on injured reserve with a lower-body injury on Sunday, his second stint on the IR this season. He has a goal and six assists in 22 games on the season, his 23rd in the league. He’s the active leader in goals (766), assists (1,155) and points.
“We knew coming in, hey listen, Jaromir is one of the all-time greats in our sport,” Flames GM Brad Treliving told TSN’s Jermain Franklin. “I think he’s shown flashes since he’s been here. If you couple it with the fact that he was unable to participate in training camp, he’s battled some nagging stuff and at the end of the day the age that he is at, that’s difficult to go through those things at 20, never mind at 45 or 46 years old.”
According to multiple reports, it’s believed his brief stay in Calgary is over as he and the team work on an exit and there appears to be little trade market for the 13-time All-Star and five-time league scoring champ, though nothing will be decided until Jagr is healthy.
A long-time fan favorite, Jagr could head back overseas—he spent three seasons (2008-11) with Avangard Omsk of the KHL—and there is speculation he could be released from his contract in time to take a
He would certainly bring some cachet if he were to join a European outfit, something he considered before signing with the Flames over the summer. But Jagr isn’t hurting the Flames. The hottest team in hockey has proven they don’t need him. And right now, it's hard to find a team playing better.
Here’s how we see teams stacking up this week, from 31-1:
31. Arizona Coyotes
Last week: 31 (-)
Record: 10-28-8
Richard Panik was an interesting piece to get in the Anthony Duclair trade with Chicago, but it seems like he could be destined for a third team by the deadline.
30. Buffalo Sabres
Last week: 30 (-)
Record: 11-24-9
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Nice win against Columbus, but there needed to be more of them at this point. It's about time to see some assets traded.
29. Ottawa Senators
Last week: 29 (-)
Record: 15-18-9
At least there's some hope following a rebound game against Toronto after getting crushed by Chicago. Wins on back-to-back nights against the Sharks and Lightning showed some promise.
28. Vancouver Canucks
Last week: 28 (-)
Record: 18-21-6
There are signs of life with wins over Columbus and Minnesota, but those came after losing five straight. It can't be just Brock Boeser.
27. Montreal Canadiens
Last week: 27 (-)
Record: 18-20-6
There's trade rumors abound, and it might be good to have a clean slate in Montreal.
26. Florida Panthers
Last week: 25 (-1)
Record: 18-19-6
Other than the seven-goal outburst against St. Louis, the good work leading into the New Year hasn't carried over.
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25. Detroit Red Wings
Last week: 26 (+1)
Record: 18-19-7
Since the calendar has flipped to 2018, Detroit has beaten mediocre-to-bad teams and lost to good ones. Seems to define the season, too.
24. Edmonton Oilers
Last week: 24 (-)
Record: 20-23-3
Even when goalie Cam Talbot plays well, it's not enough—but even then, he hasn't played well enough.
23. Carolina Hurricanes
Last week: 16 (-7)
Record: 20-17-8
The Sebastian Aho injury could be devastating, and it seemed like no one showed up in a 4-1 loss to Calgary.
22. Philadelphia Flyers
Last week: 23 (+1)
Record: 20-16-8
Tuesday's loss to the Rangers notwithstanding, four game streak, things could be turning around for the Flyers. Prior to falling at MSG, Philly had run off five consecutive wins, including victories over the Lightning, Penguins, Islanders, Blues and Sabres.
21. New York Rangers
Last week: 15 (-6)
Record: 23-17-5
Injuries haven't helped, but this is starting to look like a team destined to become sellers at the deadline.
20. Anaheim Ducks
Last week: 17 (-3)
Record: 20-16-9
The best thing to say about the Ducks is that they're close. The returns of Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler will be a serious second-half boost in the Pacific Division playoff race.
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19. Chicago Blackhawks
Last week: 20 (+1)
Record: 22-17-6
Journeyman goalie Jeff Glass is a fun story, but he's not going to be enough to carry them. Things could get especially dire if reports surrounding Corey Crawford's season-ending vertigo-like symptoms are true.
18. New York Islanders
Last week: 18 (-1)
Record: 23-19-4
With 10 points in a three-game stretch, Matthew Barzal has been a rookie revelation, but it will mean nothing until they can upgrade their goalie situation.
17. Colorado Avalanche
Last week: 18 (+1)
Record: 24-16-3
They might be the most fun team to watch in the league, especially with Nathan MacKinnon (20-34-54 in 43 GP) having found his game again. We can't wait until next year—they may be legitimate playoff contenders.
16. Pittsburgh Penguins
Last week: 21 (+5)
Record: 24-19-3
They've won five of their last six. Interesting that Mike Sullivan went back to No. 2 goalie Tristan Jarry after he gave up five goals to Boston.
15. New Jersey Devils
Last week: 8 (-7)
Record: 23-12-8
Tuesday's win over the Islanders ended a six-game losing streak, but matchups with Washington, Boston and Nashville loom. This will be the defining stretch for the young team.
14. San Jose Sharks
Last week: 13 (-1)
Record: 24-13-6
Defenseman/Resident Wookiee Brent Burns is starting to score, but the Sharks' big names still are way off their pace from a few seasons ago.
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13. Columbus Blue Jackets
Last week: 11 (-2)
Record: 25-18-3
Columbus is 4-5-1 in its last 10, and even reigning Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky is starting to look human. The injury to Brandon Dubinsky has turned into a back-breaker.
12. Dallas Stars
Last week: 12 (-)
Record: 26-17-3
Man, is Tyler Seguin good. When he's on a line with Jamie Benn and Alex Radulov, there might not be a better trio in the league.
11. Minnesota Wild
Last week: 14 (+3)
Record: 24-17-5
In a 4-1 win over Minnesota, Devan Dubnyk was fantastic. He's only lost twice in his last seven. He's in fine form.
10. Los Angeles Kings
Last week: 5 (-5)
Record: 24-15-5
Still need some offense... how much would it take to pry Max Pacioretty from the Habs?
9. Toronto Maple Leafs
Last week: 9 (-)
Record: 25-17-4
In their last three games against big-time contenders (Vegas, Tampa Bay, and Columbus) the Leafs are 0-2-1. They can't just be an Auston Matthews team.
8. St. Louis Blues
Last week: 4 (-4)
Record: 27-17-3
It would have been fun to see them healthy for a full season. Was last week's three-game losing streak a blip, or a sign of things to come?
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7. Calgary Flames
Last week: 22 (+15)
Record: 25-16-4
The Flames are finally playing like the contender they are. Does any team want to play them in a seven-game playoff series?
6. Boston Bruins
Last week: 10 (+4)
Record: 24-10-8
Undefeated in regulation in their last 13 and goalie Tuukka Rask has turned around his season in the most fantastic way. There's still more to get out of forwards David Krejci and David Backes.
5. Nashville Predators
Last week: 6 (+1)
Record: 26-11-6
Not sure of the last time David Poile made a bad trade. Between acquiring Norris Trophy candidate P.K. Subban last season and Kyle Turris a few weeks back, there have been some strokes of genius by the GM.
4. Washington Capitals
Last week: 3 (-1)
Record: 28-14-3
This is a fantastic season for Alex Ovechkin (28 goals), and somehow it's flying a bit under the radar. The team's bad start didn't help, but he's a Hart candidate.
3. Winnipeg Jets
Last week: 7 (+4)
Record: 26-13-7
Jump on the bandwagon, because it's time. Blake Wheeler is an MVP dark horse. Connor Hellebuyck is turning into a top-five goalie. Give them one more defenseman and watch out.
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2. Vegas Golden Knights
Last week: 2 (-)
Record: 29-11-3
Tough losses to Edmonton and Nashville—they've now lost three of their last five. One thing to keep an eye on with the Knights: their power play hasn't scored in its last 14 tries.
1. Tampa Bay Lightning
Last week: (-)
Record: 31-10-3
Even a relatively bad week can't keep them down. Don't read too much into the loss against Calgary.