There was no one, I repeat no one, that saw this coming. The first rumblings of talks between the team and Jagr began on Tuesday morning and then boom, he's signed in the afternoon.
Even if it is surprising, the signing is great for Dallas and really cements their plans of how to proceed in the future with the team. It provides a one year stop-gap for Reilly Smith to really improve and it allows Dallas to let Alex Chiasson develop in the AHL this season.
He provides extra scoring depth, flexibility in the lines, punch on the power play and the Stars actually now have two whole lines of legitimate top-six forwards. It's been a while since they could say that. It also brings some pizzazz back to the team and will help fill the seats. Even at his age, Jagr is a big name in this league.
There are some worries though. Jagr's age is on the wrong side of 40 and the Stars have the toughest travel schedule in the NHL. The rigors of the schedule could prove to be too much for his wizened old self. It's still a low-risk contract though and Stars fan should be really excited for next season.
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