Jaromir Jagr will Never be a Bruin in My Eyes

I was reading about the possible pickups that the Bruins might make before the trade deadline the other day and Jager's name came up. My first thought was, "no way." Reading today that he's now on the Bruin's roster, I can't say I've changed my mind. In fact, I think this acquisition is a disaster, and I have lost a measure of respect for the Bruins management.

Jagr does not play like a Bruin. He's never had the work ethic and he's reportedly a compulsive gambler. I doubt very much that he will be a positive influence in the room, nor will he make much of an impact on the ice. People have compared him to Mark Rechhi; give me a break. Jaromir Jager is no Mark Rechhi. Why, one must ask, has a guy who had so much talent, spent most of his career moving from team to team like some hired gun?

What bugs me the most about this trade is that I doubt very much if the Bruins would have pulled the trigger on it if it hadn't been for the Iginla fiasco. I never thought they needed Iginla for that matter, although nobody in their right mind could have been against it, particularly for what the Bruins were offering for him. Iginla is one classy guy. But all they needed offensively was anybody who could put some pressure on Lucic and Horton. Jagr is going to be too much of a distraction. What the Bruins really need is more defensive depth. Hopefully that will happen before tomorrow. That, and for Kelly to come back, and for the playoffs to get under way to liven things up a bit.

So now we have Jagr, but he's not the sort of player that fits the Neely mold of what it means to be a Bruin, and it's not the sort of trade that made Chiarelli one of the most shrewd GMs in the NHL. It comes off as a desperate attempt to placate a disappointed fan base and to jump start a team with a morale problem. Only, I doubt it will accomplish either!