It's hard to believe that as his 43rd birthday swiftly approaches, Jaromir Jagr is still among the leading scorers on the moribund New Jersey Devils.
He's got nine goals, third highest total on the team, and he's managed 25 total points, good for second.
The fact that the squad is performing poorly may be part of the explanation - it's ahead of only the Hurricanes and the Sabres in the East - but Jagr is also still a very steady, capable presence on the ice, even as he makes his way through his third decade in the NHL.
As the league's trade deadline also approaches, Jagr, who signed a one-year deal with the Devils and GM Lou Lamoriello prior to the season, will become a hot topic of conversation as a potential rental piece for teams seeking a playoff push upgrade.
Jagr even said recently that, while he prefers to remain a Devil, he knows it's likely he'll end up getting traded ahead of the deadline.
One team that could sorely use the injection of (fading) talent, skill and (priceless) understanding of the rigors of NHL postseason play that comes with bringing Jagr onboard, is the Minnesota Wild.
The Wild and coach Mike Yeo are currently last in the Central Division, two spots out of the basement in the West.
They're erratic, emotional and worse, they're performing well below the level of the talent already in place.
Tom Powers, a columnist for the Pioneer Press, believes the major affliction facing the Wild, Yeo and GM Chuck Fletcher is the "manic mood swings" the team seems prone to on a night-to-night basis, and he sees Jagr as the perfect foil.
"Jagr would be valuable not so much for what he can do on the ice, which remains considerable -- especially on the power play -- but for his presence in the fragile Wild mental ecosystem. This is a veteran of more than 200 playoff games who has seen all there is to see. He is a powerful, positive force. Maybe he's looking for one last challenge."
Jagr would certainly bring a steadying presence to the Wild lineup, though it would be unfair to expect much of him in terms of on-ice production.
But if it is personality and professionalism the Wild seek, Jagr could very much be their man.
