Jagr Signs with Flyers After Penguins Drop Offer

In a bit of a surprising twist to the NHL off-season, Jaromir Jagr has decided to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers after receiving offers earlier in the week from the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings.

"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," Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero said. "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."

Jagr signed a one-year contract worth $3.3 million whereas the Penguins offer was for $2.2 million.

Perhaps this was simply a ploy to get the best possible offer from an NHL team? Jagr had to know that the team most receptive to his stated interest to play in the NHL again would be the Penguins, and from there he was most likely hoping other teams might bid as well.  Looks like he got his wish.