Jaromir Jagr And The Kladno Connection

After the blockbuster deal that sent Evander Kane and Zack Bogosian from the Winnipeg Jets to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, two prospects and a first round draft pick, action is bound to pick up in the NHL with only a few weeks before the NHL trade deadline in early March.

After showing interest in the controversial Kane, Montreal Canadiens general manager, Marc Bergevin, will now have to turn his attention to other targets. One name that keeps coming up in trade chatter is that of ageless veteran Jaromir Jagr of the New Jersey Devils. 

The soon-to-be 43 years old veteran is enjoying a solid campaign yet again this season, notching 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points with a -10 differential in 50 games for a struggling Devils squad. Jagr, who is New Jersey's leading scorer, told GM Lou Lamoriello that he doesn't necessarily want to be traded before the deadline, but he is open to the idea. 

Should he be traded by the Devils, the 6'3'', 230-lb, right-winger would like to remain in the Eastern Conference and play for a contender with a change to win the Stanley Cup. With the Devils 12 points out of a playoff spot, it's a question of days before they are "officially" out of the race and, as a result, Jagr would like to continue playing come spring. 

The Native of Klado, Czech Republic (same hometown as Jiri Sekac and Tomas Plekanec), is willing to accept a diminished role and less ice-time to pursue his dream of another Cup. 

"I don't pay attention to the deadline. I'm a professional. I just work even harder than I did before," Jagr told Rich Chere of NJ Advance Media. "If I stay here, I stay here. If I don't, I still have to be ready. If somebody trades for me they'll expect me to be good. And if I stay here I have to be good. So I have to work harder than ever to make sure I'm good."

One of the hardest working off the ice, Jagr's dedication to training is legendary around the league and is one of the key elements of his never-ending career. A long-time friend and international teammate of Tomas Plekanec, Jagr also trained with Plekanec and Sekac this summer in Kladno, so the three Czechs are already familiar with each other.

Jagr, who has a cap hit of $5.5 million because of the bonus he received this season, has already played for several Eastern Conference teams, namely the Bruins, the Rangers, the Flyers, the Capitals and the Penguins, which basically leaves the Lightning, the Red Wings and the Habs as a likely destination.

While the "Mullet Man" is not a bona-fide superstar any more, he can certainly produce offensively and help the Habs' struggling power play come playoff time. Jagr is also great with the puck, so his arrival would certainly improve the team's possession statistics, which are ranked in the bottom third of the league right now.

A middle-round pick and a low-level prospect such as Christian Thomas is probably what the Devils will ask for Jagr before the deadline. Are you willing to pay that kind of price?

Potential forward lines with Jagr:

Pacioretty-Desharnais-Weise/Parenteau

Sekac-Plekanec-Jagr

Galchenyuk-Eller-Gallagher

Bournival-De La Rose/Malhotra-Prust

Who would you want to acquire at forward if you were Marc Bergevin?

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Follow me on Twitter at @FredPoulin98

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Montreal Canadiens Player Profile: Jiri Sekac

(Photo: HC Lev Praha)

When it was announced on July 1st, 2014 that the Montreal Canadiens had come to terms with unrestricted free agent Jiri Sekac, most people said: "Jiri who? Is he related to Joe Sakic?" Well, not exactly as his name is pronounced "Jirji Skaatch". 

The 22-year-old left-winger signed a two-year contract with the Habs that will pay him $925,000 annually should he play in the NHL next season. Sekac will earn $70,000 if he is demoted to the AHL. The Czech can also earn up to $425,000 in performance bonuses in each season.

So, who is Jiri Sekac? The Kladno native played for HC Lev Praha in the KHL in 2013-14, potting 11 goals and adding 17 assists for 28 points in 47 games to go along with a +12 rating and 18 penalty minutes. Never drafted by a NHL team, Sekac played only eight games with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL back in 2009-10 after being cut by his junior team. The 6' 2'', 190-lb winger performed rather well in the USHL before signing to play in the KHL for three seasons.

Before he decided to sign with the Canadiens, Sekac was coveted by at least a dozen teams despite the fact that most North American hockey fans didn't know him well, if at all.

The Montreal Canadiens has signed forward Jiri Sekac to a 2 yr contract. Unprecedented interest in him. Montreal fans will love him!
— Allan Walsh (@walsha) July 1, 2014

At the 2014 World Championships, Sekac recorded two points in ten games for Czech Republic, but came close to adding two more goals against Italy and Canada, respectively. An unorthodox-looking skater and not a very physical player despite his size, Sekac will have to improve his body strength this summer to be harder to knock of the puck next season. Hailing from the same hometown as Tomas Plekanec, Jaromir Jagr and Jakub Voracek, Sekac is blessed with great hands and an excellent hockey sense.

While he is not known for his defensive acumen, Sekac is a very adept two-way player who is responsible in his own zone, which will certainly please head coach Michel Therrien. The lanky winger has a good wrist shot and great passing abilities, which project him as a 20 goals and 20 assists player in a near future. Sekac is a fringe second line player right now, but he is talented enough to play on the team's third line next season.

This is one of the main reasons Marc Bergevin let Thomas Vanek and Brian Gionta go via free agency and did not sign any other forward to replace them, save for veteran Manny Malhotra who will be the team's fourth-line center. Since Cakes (Sekac backwards) is already familiar with Tomas Plekanec, I wouldn't be surprised if he begins the season on his line alongside someone like Rene Bourque or Michael Bournival, who can both play against offensive lines.

Potential Habs lines:
Pacioretty-Desharnais-Parenteau
Sekac-Plekanec-Bourque
Galchenyuk-Eller-Gallagher
Prust-Malhotra-Weise

Extras: Bournival and Moen

It will certainly be interesting to see if the young European can make an easy transition to the smaller ice next season and keep producing offensively among men.

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