WP: Jagr Traded

[Posse81]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42369-2004Jan23.html


New From The Post
Source Says Capitals Complete Jagr Trade

By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 23, 2004; 4:10 PM


SUNRISE, Fla., Jan. 23 -- The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers completed a trade Friday that will send five-time NHL scoring champion Jaromir Jagr to New York, a source close to Jagr said.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Jagr departed the Capitals' Florida hotel about 3:30 Friday afternoon to catch a flight to Ottawa, where the Rangers play the Senators on Saturday night.

New York forward Anson Carter, a former Capital, did not practice with the Rangers at the team's practice facility outside New York Friday and was reported to be a possible part of the deal. The Rangers delayed their charter flight from New York to Ottawa Friday morning, but Carter was on the flight when the plane took off.

The deal, which the two teams have been negotiating during the past several days, is largely financial, sources said, with the Capitals believed to be picking up some portion of the $44 million remaining on Jagr's contract beyond this season.

The Rangers negotiated with Jagr's agent Friday, finalizing a restructuring of his contract, and those discussions were completed by mid-afternoon, the source close to Jagr said.

[jbooma]

I heard we have to pay $20 million of his contract, if that is true then we got screwed :(

[GB81]

Rumor has it Gonchar will be part of the deal as well as two other no-name Rangers and NY's 1st rounder next season. If Gonchar and Jagr are gone, that leaves about 4 Caps I can actually name...

[Posse81]

Gonchar too???

[SkinsNumberOne]

Wow, that's crazy news. Leonsis was in the news a while ago about cutting back since no matter what he spends fans don't support the team... and the team struggles too anyway...

[jbooma]

Originally posted by GB81
Rumor has it Gonchar will be part of the deal as well as two other no-name Rangers and NY's 1st rounder next season. If Gonchar and Jagr are gone, that leaves about 4 Caps I can actually name...

Next Olie will be going :(

Your thought the O's were bad, wait till you see this team :doh:

Oh my the Wizards are now the best team in DC :thud:

[GB81]

Originally posted by jbooma


Oh my the Wizards are now the best team in DC :thud:

I think you are selling the Wiz short. They're God awful.

[sippin2020]

Wow. I can understand it though. I heard Leonsis was losing $50,000 a night.

I think I can name 2 Caps now.

[GB81]

Witt, Halpern, Kolzig, Zubrus, Lang...

ummm...

[GrimReefa]

The Capitals need an identity.

They need a new coach, and they need new GM, and they need a direction - some kind of plan.

Otherwise, you just go and spend money on whatever hot name you see, and you end up like, well, the Capitals.

Or the Rangers.


The Wizards - they just need to be contracted.

[GrimReefa]

You know what they should do - they should go out and get every goon they can get their hands on. I'm talking four fights a night.

At least then they'd be fun to watch.

[BayouBrave86]

Kolzig blows I hope they trade his ass as soon as they can. Ouelette needs to get the starting job. Defense blows too..this whole team is a mess..but the Jagr deal is the first step to clearing up all this mess.

[Chief skin]

Jagr's best days were spent in Pittsburgh killing the Caps. He has sucked the last few years, done nothing to earn those big bucks. PHUCK HIM!!!!!

[Hog Fever]

The Jagr deal was a mistake in the first place. I said it then, I’ll say it now.

A bigger problem is on the blue line. This defensive squad is one of the worst I can remember seeing on a non expansion team. Gonchar is a good scorer but his plus/minus sucks because he isn't a stay at home type of defensemen. Witt is ok, and the rest would be in the minors in some organizations.

I knew at the beginning of the season that if the team didn’t come out and start playing well right away and was in the playoff hunt that they were going to blow it all up. I’d be surprised if this was the last move they made.

In the past few of years we have acquired or drafted a couple of talented young goalies. Kolzig is likely to be moved. Lang is having an all-star season; he might be dealt because his value has never been higher. As I mentioned Gonchar is a great scoring defenseman but not what this team may need right now which is solid stay at home type guy.

It’s painful to watch but sadly I think that it’s something that is going to have to happen if the team ever wants to get better and establish an identity for itself.

[DSF]

gonchar was not traded..

Nor have I heard anything about him being traded at all..

So, yeah... nothing to that.. as for naming caps.

Lang, Bondra, Battaglia, Semin, Now Carter, Miller, Whitfield, Halpern, Grier


Witt, Gonchar, Berry, Doig

Kolzig and Chapertier

All I can think off the top of my head.

[BCS:BraveCaringSoul]

Originally posted by GB81
Rumor has it Gonchar will be part of the deal as well as two other no-name Rangers and NY's 1st rounder next season. If Gonchar and Jagr are gone, that leaves about 4 Caps I can actually name...

Don't break my balls kid. Was Gonchar traded or no? If so post a link and/or tell us where you "heard" the rumor.

If they traded Jagr, Gonchar and $20 mil for Anson Carter and a late 1st then I'm getting out my pitchfork to storm Cap Central TONIGHT!!!

SAY IT AINT SO!!!

[Storm]

Jagr for Carter. Caps will cough up 20 mil. Nothing about Gonchar.

[bccdc]

Leonisis is expected to lose $20 - $30 million this season. McPhee has been ordered to cut bait. By the end of the year - Gonchar, Bondra, Lang and maybe Kolzig will be gone. Buh bye.

[Hitman56]

They can't trade Bonzai. He's the Darrell Green of the Caps.

[scottb]

Thank God. Getting Jagr was one of the worst hockey deals of all time. Time to cut losses and move on.

[The Consigliere]

Bondra is supposedly drawing interest from the Sens, Leafs, Avs and Wings.

Gonchar is supposedly 'available'.

Kolzig has been rumored to be available though it's believed that if he's moved it won't be for another month or two.

Lang is probably available considering he's having the best season of the lot.

One rumor had Bondra going to the Sens for their first or second rounder and a prospect, but supposedly the Caps are still listening to other offers, hoping to drive up the price. Bondra will be available to be resigned following the season and the Caps believe they can resign him following the end of the playoffs.


As for the Jags trade, it was a pure salary dump. Essentially the Rangers agreed to eat 24 million of the Jags deal, and get the player, the Caps agree to pay the remaining 20 million, and add Carter and the 7 mill remaining on his contract (I think he's got only these last three months left). So in a sense, the salary dump only dumped $17 million.

Which in my view means, that at least one or two more players will be moved.

So far we've got nothing of major value (barring Carter's resigning) back in the beginings of the Fire Sale, hopefully we can get a return equal to that that we gained in trading for Maxime Ouellet back in '02.

[inmate running the asylum]

Quit adulterating my Redskins board with this NON-REDSKINS news. :laugh:

[bulldog]

the original Jagr deal was a risk, but could have turned out well for the team. there was a tag on Jagr as being childish and a guy who was not seen as a leader in Pittsburgh, but he was also the most valuable player for the Czechs in the Olympics and dominated the NHL Russians to win the Gold.

the big mistake with Jagr was in extending his contract after the trade BEFORE the team saw whether his acquisition made a bottom line difference in Ws and Ls.

Jagr's contract still had TWO years left on it when he was traded so there was no rush to extend it.

As far as the others go, Kolzig has been a premiere goalie for a number of years but is 34 years old.

Lang and Bondra are also 34.

Gonchar, 29, is a fine offensive defenseman but needs to be paired with a strong, stay at home type who can cover him on the defensive end.

The Caps need to realize that in the market they are in, the team CAN be successful but NOT by running a team the way the Rangers or Red Wings are financially.

This team has to draft well, develop its own players and then add the one or two leadership guys to put it over the top.

Jagr was not that player as it turns out.

when you look around the league you see guys like Scott Stevens and Mark Messier as real leaders. Joe Sakic as well.

Before anyone beats the drum to fire George McPhee remember that Teddy made the Jagr deal while George was out of town on his own.

I don't think he will be making any trades on his own anymore :)

[SPare]

You guys are focussing on the wrong spot. You should be happy that you're getting a guy like Carter for Jagr, who appears to be done.

Carter's still young, he plays with intensity, he's a hard worker, and yes, he does have some talent. In short, while your team is losing the talent game, you may just have gotten yourself a better player, if that makes any sense.

[Larry Brown #43]

The Caps need to trade eveyone and go into rebuilding mode. Get something for these veterans while you still can, and start over. Only problem is, there may not be a league to come back to after this year, so it may all be moot.

[fezzik]

Hey Larry that is what the rumors are saying. Everyone that is over 27 or 28 can be traded. That means guys like Gonchar, Bondra and Kolzig are on the block.

With the trade of Jagr the NHL writers now know that Washington is oopen for business and an rumour they can make up will be reported. Since the deal last night I have heard Kolzig to Vancouver and Bondra to Ottawa. Being a Toronto fan I am sure I will here rumours about Gonchair coming to the Leafs in the next few weeks.

[KingJeremy]

Spurrier AND Jagr out of town within a month?? This is the longest and greatest Christmas ever...

Jer

[December90]

With the start of the dismantling of the Caps it appears that Leonsis has learned much from being just down the road from Peter (I never met a team I could not ruin) Angelos.

I never thought I would say this but bring back ABE.

[December90]

Originally posted by inmate running the asylum
Quit adulterating my Redskins board with this NON-REDSKINS news. :laugh:


Hey! This is the Capitals section of the Site. If you don't want it adulterated then just don't read this section.

Having suffered under the Snyder regime for the past few years you should understand that we have to have somewhere to cry about our pathetic local teams. At least Snyder appears to have learned the most important lesson of all that he needs "football" people to run the "football" team.

[tiny80]

i think the trade was dumb but lets see how they do without him iam a eagles fan but like the skins :40oz:

[bulldog]

this is the second time that Jagr has been traded in 3 years for what appears at first glance to be little in return for a 5 time scoring champion.

while it is possible that Jagr, 32, recaptures some of his prime form for the Rangers, the comment that he has lost a bit of his competitive fire and is just not as hungry as he used to be certainly may have some currency.

last year, when the Caps were a playoff team, Jagr had some games where he completely dominated play and had multiple point nights.

then he would go 3-4 games afterward where he would be all but invisible.

how do you reconcile the two faces of the player?

the one question that McPhee and Leonsis have never adequately explained is the thought process behind hiring a rookie head coach in Bruce Cassidy to run a heavily veteran team that had some guys with big egos on the squad.

to me if you assemble a team of 30-something players for a 2 or 3 year run, you need to cap that off by hiring a proven coach that has shown he can deal with veteran players and get the most out of them.

from the start players had doubts about Cassidy and unfortunately he did nothing during his tenure to garner the necessary respect.

he made one mistake after another and ended up alienating most of the players on the team, including Olaf Kolzig, whose performance was critical to any hopes the club had of advancing in the playoffs.