Pens Withdraw Offer, Jagr Agrees To Terms With Flyers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Jaromir Jagr is headed to the Penguins' most bitter rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Jagr and the Flyers agreed on a 1-year deal worth $3.3 million.
The Flyers were able to afford Jagr after trading Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.
By the way, the Flyers first game in Pittsburgh this year is December 29th.
The Pittsburgh Penguins got tired of waiting and decided to withdraw their offer to free agent winger Jaromir Jagr just before noon Friday.
The deal was for one-year and worth $2 million.
Pens GM Ray Shero released this statement concerning Jagr:
"We made what we thought was a very fair contract offer to Jaromir on Tuesday, based on his stated interest of returning to the Penguins," said Ray Shero, the team's executive vice president and general manager.
"We made our best offer from the start, given our salary cap structure, in an attempt to facilitate a deal. But now, after several days, with an extended time frame for making a decision, and additional teams getting involved, we have decided to move in a different direction. It was never our intention to get involved in a free agent bidding war, and we have to focus on our team.
"Jaromir is one of the greatest players in Penguins history, and we wish him all the best."
The Detroit Red Wings also pulled their offer to Jagr this morning.
It's somewhat surprising that Jagr would have let the situation drag on for days after publicly talking about wanting to return to Pittsburgh.
In an interview with the Hockey News last year, Jagr said he'd be willing to play for the Penguins and play for the league minimum because of his idol Mario Lemieux.
RELATED LINKS:
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
