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Pierre LeBrun of TSN and ESPN is reporting that the Devils have agreed to terms on a one-year contract for future hall-of-famer Jaromir Jagr.
OK 30-sec break from vacation. Jaromir Jagr has agreed to one-year deal with Devils. Likely won't be officially announced until Tuesday...
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) July 22, 2013
Many fans have been wondering how the Devils would address the loss of Ilya Kovalchuk for the 2013-14 season. Like it or not, the answer for now appears to be "sign Jaromir Jagr." Despite his age, Jagr put up a decent number of points for the Stars and Bruins this past season, so hopefully he can repeat that over the course of an 82 game season for the Devils.
Despite his pedigree, Jagr will turn 42 during this upcoming season, and it's fair to wonder exactly how much he has left in the tank at this point. He can probably still contribute offensively, but his defense will likely not be very fun to watch. It's arguable how much he can do driving the play and he'll be another year older/slower to boot. He'll likely see a good amount of power play time, though, and hopefully the other forwards can help carry him forward enough to utilize his skills.
Personally, my knee-jerk reaction is that I'm a little disappointed that the Devils couldn't secure one of the younger players out there, and I get the sinking feeling that this will close out the summer's dealings outside of the Henrique RFA contract. Hopefully, Jagr can help produce some much-needed scoring for a roster with a sore need for it, though. Sound off with your thoughts on the deal below.