Letting A Legend Go: Farewell, Jagr 2019-01-29 NEW JERSEY- The New Jersey Devils announced yet another trade Monday. The Devils sent Jaromir Jagr, and Lee Stempniak to The Pittsburgh Penguins for their 2019 3rd Round Pick and Devante Smith-Pelly. The deal turns the page on what is likely to be The future NHL Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr`s last chapter in his EHE career. The exchange makes a ton of sense for both parties. Jagr (pending UFA) gets his last shot at a Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are currently sit 2nd in the Metropolitan division. With 4 Goals and 16 Points in 30 Games on a low-scoring Devils team, its evident that the 46 year old mogul has still got some gas in the tank. Perhaps no one will miss the veteran more than line-mate and prodigy Matt Barzal. “Just fortunate to be around Jag’s every day, and learn from one of the greatest of all-time. It was unreal playing with him, and having him in the room. Definitely wish him all the best in Pitt.” Explained Barzal. As for the return: Devante Smith Pelly is certainly no Jaromir Jagr. The man they call “DSP”, however, has a 4-year contract at an AAV of $1,650,000. By all accounts, DSP looks to be apart of The Devils plans moving forward. Bates was also able to retain New Jersey’s 2019 3rd Round Pick, previously sent to Pittsburgh, prior to the Gurtowski regime. Here’s a look at New Jersey’s draft pick situation after the trade: 2019 NJ 1st 2019 STL 1st 2019 COL 2nd 2019 NJ 3rd 2019 SJS 3rd 2019 STL 4th 2019 MIN 4th Devils Not Done Dealing? MyEHETradeRumours.com reports that Bates and The Devils are still not done making trades. Here’s how Bates responded to questions regarding more potential deals. “We’re in a position organizationally where a lot of movement is taking place over the course of the calendar year. We need to be aggressive. It’s part of the process.” Bates continued: “That’s why we felt it was necessary to address Devils faithful in the letter last June. It’s not always going to be like this. Right now, it’s important to get assets for a player like Jagr, rather than lose him for nothing.” Well, hold your breathe Devils fans. We may even see some more action before The Trade Deadline. As for #68: Thanks for everything, Jag’s. You`ll be missed. Best of luck to Jaromir Jagr and The Pittsburgh Penguins. Salute!
