Jaromir Jagr continues to perform at a level that is not supposed to be po sible for someone at such an advanced age, but how much should the Panthers or any other team be willing to pay him now that his contract is up?Jagr had 27 goals and 66 points this season for the division-winning Panthers. He turned 44 years old in mid-February, and it was the second-most goals and third-most points in the history of the NHL for someone who was at least 41 on Feb. 1.MORE: |He finished one point behind himself, from two seasons ago, and four shy of 41-year-old Gordie Howe, who played in a Larry Nance Jersey 12-team league where half of the franchises were in their third year of existence.Jagrs work is not just remarkable when compared to other old players in NHL history. He out-produced modern NHL stars who were in elementary school when he started playing. Consider, there were only two players in the NHL this season who are more than 30 years old and scored more points than Jagr -- Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. One of them is 31, more than 12 years younger. They play on a line together a lot of the time. Jagr had more goals and more points than Jeff Carter, Zach Parise and Ryan Getzlaf, just to name a few stars who would need to play for another decade and still wouldnt be as old as Jagr is now.He is a free agent, and made it clear after the Panthers were tripped up by the Islanders in the first round that he will be playing in the NHL on his 45th birthday. His arrival in South Florida at the trade deadline last season was a deft move by general manager Dale Tallon, and Jagr has provided an incredible amount of value, both on and off the ice, to the young Panthers.The first half of Jagrs career was defined by brilliance on the ice, but petulance away from it. He has grown into a wise, Gandalf-like figure in the NHL though, and his value as a leader and mentor for players like Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau cannot be understated.MORE: Jagr Dennis Rodman Jersey has played each of the past five seasons since returning from the Kontinental Hockey League on a one-year contract. The past three have included at least $1.9 million in performance bonuses.He played 2015-16 on a one-year, $3.5 million contract, which is comically low for someone who produced at his level. He will, according to the incentive stipulations at General Fanager, collect an extra $1.6 million in performance bonuses.Given Jagrs age, games played-based incentives seem like an ideal fit for the team. By the time he reached 45 games played for the Panthers this season, he had accrued $ James Worthy Jersey 1.5 million in bonus money.Jagr, based on his production alone, is one of the top five players set to become unrestricted free agents this summer. His age would seem like a detriment.Conventional logic might not apply for smart teams in this situation. Whats unique about Jagr, in a group of forward free agents that includes Steven Stamkos, Andrew Ladd, Loui Erik son and Milan Lucic?Term, or specifically teams are not going to need to commit five-to-seven years to land Jagr like they will with anothertop-tier free agent.MORE: Given the unpredictability of the salary cap (which is basically a nice way of not saying the Canadian economy) and the growing number of players in their 30s on long-term contracts, the NHL is heading down a new path where payroll flexibility is going to catapult up the list of important factors in roster construction. Any team with enough cap space for 2016-17 should jump at the chance to land Jagr on a one-year deal.Have a team that might be one top-six forward away from being a contender, or needs one more to get past that nemesis rival? Why commit five years and $30 million to land Erik son or Ladd if Jagr could po sibly offer similar production and some unquantifiable but significant leadership value at 20 percent of the cost, both in years and total contract value?Many teams will not be able to fit Jagr on their roster at a flat rate of $6 million next season, and other cap-strapped teams would probably want to avoid a deal like hes been doing (something in the $3.5-4 million range with a couple extra million in incentives). Jagrs list of places hed be willing to play is also probably not very lengthy.Dont think Jagr would be worth $6 million (or more) on a one-year deal?First, lets strip out Corey Brewer Jersey young stars who havent reached UFA status yet (guys like Taylor Hall and Brandon Saad). Here is the list of veteran wings who counted between $5.8 million and $7.25 million against the salary cap in 2015-16:Bobby Ryan, $7.25 millionDaniel Sedin, $7 millionPatrick Marleau, $6.66 millionThomas Vanek, $6.5 millionMilan Lucic, $6 millionPatrick Sharp, $5.9 millionDustin Brown, $5.875 millionAlexander Steen, $5.8 millionRyan Callahan, $5.8 millionThats nine guys, and lets say Jagr makes 10. How many of those other nine are better bets than Jagr to produce say, 25 goals and 60 points, in 2016-17?Sedin is the only player on that list that reached 25 and 65 in 2015-16 (besides Jagr, or course). Vanek, Brown and Callahan are on the short list for worst contracts in the NHL, and Ryan, given the term and his production the past three seasons, isnt far behind.The Panthers, like Jagr, could be a fascinating storyline this summer. They have a great, young nucleus with an affordable goaltender who is still performing at an elite level despite his age. They also have plenty of salary cap space, and there could be even more if Dave Bollands albatro s of a contract is bought out or miraculously traded away. Campbell could be very expensive to retain, but hes likely to be Robert Horry Jersey worth it if it could happen on a two- or three-year deal.If Jagr wants to stay with the Panthers, they have the means to keep him. A one-year deal worth $6-6.5 million (after incentives) is entirely reasonable, and if he ended up on the open market someone swooping in with a offer totalling $7 million shouldnt be considered all that crazy.If he stays healthy, he is a pretty decent bet to be worth it.