A little more than a month ago, the Edmonton Oilers and their fans watched Mats Sundin make his Vancouver Canucks debut in Edmonton. If a local Edmonton reporter is correct, the Oilers could be on the verge of one-upping their Western Canada rivals when it comes to "in-season signings."
David Staples writes the Cult of Hockey blog, which is part of the Edmonton Journal's Oiler coverage. Tuesday afternoon, he dropped a bomb on that blog. It's a story that, if true, could reshape the West race.
A source close to Czech hockey ace Jaromir Jagr says that Jagr is close to finalizing negotiations with the Edmonton Oilers, reports Euro-hockey expert Peter Adler.There is a major problem with this story.
The source would not say when Jagr would report to Edmonton, how much he would be paid, or how long he would sign for. Jagr is now playing with Omsk in the financially-troubled Kontinental Hockey League.
The Oilers can't just sign Jagr. If he decides to return from Europe and play in the NHL again, he must clear waivers to do so.
I know not everyone in the NHL has cap room, but I find it hard to believe that no team would try to block this from happening. Brian Burke hates Oilers boss Kevin Lowe, and he allegedly has $7.5 million in cap room. Even if Edmonton signed Jagr to a generous contract, teams like Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the Islanders could easily afford to take on that salary without making any corresponding move.
If this is true, it's a huge story. Of course, it's not true until Jagr clears waivers, and I'm not betting on that.
