Jaromir Jagr, a 39-year-old Czech right wing with world and Olympic titles plus a NHL crown, signed with the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday as the NHL free agency period began.
Jagr, who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cups, signed a one-year deal worth US$3.3 million with the Flyers, archrivals of the Penguins, who offered the former NHL MVP only US$2 million.
Jagr, who has spent the past three seasons playing in Russia, led the Czech Republic to 1998 Nagano Olympic ice hockey gold and world titles in 2005 and last year.
The Penguins had hoped Jagr would return to the club where he made his fame, before being traded to Washington, but Pittsburgh withdrew its offer to Jagr’s agent, former Flyers defenseman Petr Svoboda, before the Flyer deal was announced.
“We made what we thought was a very fair contract offer to Jaromir based on his stated interest of returning to the Penguins,” Penguins general manager Ray Shero said. “Jaromir is one of the greatest players in Penguins history and we wish him all the best.”
Jagr will become the NHL’s leading active career scorer when he returns to the ice, having netted 646 goals.
The Flyers, who traded away strong scorers Jeff Carter to Columbus and Mike Richards to Los Angeles last month, also signed another former Penguins standout, inking center Maxime Talbot to a five-year deal worth US$9 million.
Philadelphia also landed former Anaheim defenseman Andreas Lilja.
Finnish free agent forward Ville Leino has signed a multi-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres, the team said.
Leino, 27, recorded career bests in points (53), goals (19), assists (34) and power-play goals (five) in 81 games with Philadelphia last season.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman James Wisniewski to a six-year contract, the team said.
Financial terms were not announced, but local media reported the deal was worth US$33 million.
The signing came two days after the Blue Jackets acquired Wisniewski’s rights from the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal will receive a fifth-round draft pick next year in return.
The Montreal Canadiens have signed highly regarded free agent forward Erik Cole to a four-year contract, the team said.
Financial terms were not announced, but local media reported Cole would receive US$18 million over the length of the contract.
Cole, 32, played in all 82 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season. The ninth year player recorded 52 points, scoring 26 goals and posting 26 saves.
The Penguins signed a two-year contract extension worth US$4 million with winger Tyler Kennedy.
The Washington Capitals, another former club of Jagr, traded Russian goaltender Semyon Varlamov to Colorado in exchange for the Avalanche’s first-round pick in next year’s NHL draft and a second-round pick next year or in 2013.
Varlamov won 11 of 25 starts for the Capitals with a 2.23 goals-against average, but the young netminder was expendable with the team boasting two other top young netminders, Canada’s Braden Holtby and the Czech Republic’s Michal Neuvirth.
Colorado also signed a four-year deal with defenseman Jan Hejda, while Washington also signed center Jeff Halpern, 35, to a one-year deal worth US$825,000.
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