Posted by John Pereira, Special to ESPN.com
Sir Isaac Newton was a smart man, to say the least. Not only was he a brilliant physicist and mathematician, but I think he also was a fan of fantasy sports. (Imagine the sabermetrics!) Let's look at his third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Action: Edmonton Oilers defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky injured his labrum in a 3-1 loss to Chicago on Feb. 3. The team announced that Visnovsky will undergo surgery this week to repair his shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. This is catastrophic news for the Oilers, and a bitter pill to swallow for fantasy owners. Visnovsky had been producing steady offensive numbers, with 31 points through 50 games, putting him on pace for 50 points if he had remained healthy.
Reaction: According to reports from the Edmonton Journal, the Oilers are now close to finalizing a deal that would bring Jaromir Jagr to Edmonton. Jagr is currently playing with Omsk of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League and would have to clear waivers before he joins the NHL club, which in itself could cause some problems. According to the paper, the source wouldn't release a timeline of when Jagr would join the team or how much his contract would be worth if he does sign. However, the team does have salary-cap space now that Visnovsky has officially been placed on injured reserve. To the team's credit, they refuse to confirm the two sides are close to a deal.
Meanwhile, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun is reporting that a source close to the situation said the Oilers did speak with Jagr recently. Jagr's agent is said to have responded that the veteran Czech winger is committed to his two-year contract with Avangard Omsk in the KHL, worth about $7 million a season. Some KHL teams have been taking a hard hit as the Russian ruble loses its value on the open market. Ray Emery was the latest player to walk away due to a disagreement over payment, saying his team has been shortchanging him. So with precedent being set, Jagr may well walk away and the Oilers' training staff might be preparing to stitch a big No. 68 on the back of one of the team's jerseys.
From a fantasy perspective, this could be a huge boost to your squad. Jagr had 71 points through 82 games with the New York Rangers during 2007-08, which could have been considered a down season for the former Art Ross Trophy winner. In 2005-06, he posted 123 points, then fell off to 96 points the next season on the back of some poor shooting. In 2006-07 and 2007-08, his shooting percentage was 4-5 percent lower than his career mark. If that number moves back toward the mean of 14.1 percent, he could well become a productive player down the stretch if he signs.
While some might point to Mats Sundin's return as one reason you shouldn't invest in a veteran player making a midseason comeback, Jagr has one key difference that sets him apart from the big Swede: He's already in game shape. Jagr has been better than a point-per-game player in the KHL this season, and there is no reason to think he wouldn't produce at a point-per-game pace in North America. Jagr could well be the top-line player the Oilers' management has been seeking to play alongside Ales Hemsky.
Due to a strange statistical anomaly -- most likely due to inactive owners -- Jagr is already owned in about 11 percent of ESPN.com leagues this season. But if you happen to play in the 89 percent of leagues in which he is still available, feel free to pluck him off the waiver wire and wait until we hear more about this situation.
Ice Chips
The best two teams in the NHL this season put on an exciting show in Beantown on Tuesday night. Boston carried a lead into the third period on the back of two Milan Lucic goals, but San Jose was able to score three goals in a six-minute span in the third period for a 5-2 victory. Patrick Marleau had three points in the win and is looking like the 2005-06 version of himself again. … Is there something in the water in Columbus? First it was Steve Mason; now another rookie goalie is making headlines. Dan LaCosta made 31 saves for his first career shutout in a 3-0 win over Colorado in just his second NHL start. The ride might be a short one for LaCosta, though. Mason might return to the club this Friday after battling mono. … It was exactly one year to the day since Richard Zednik suffered one of the scariest injuries in recent memory. Maybe he had some demons that needed to be exorcised, but the Florida forward was unstoppable scoring two goals in the Panthers' win over the Maple Leafs. Zednik, who had his neck slashed by a teammate's skate a year ago, told reporters after the game, "It's amazing … exactly one year later and to get the game-winning goal, it's great." … Jason Blake's return to fantasy prominence continues. He had two assists in the Leafs' loss Tuesday. He now has 13 points in his past seven games and is still available in about 15 percent of ESPN.com leagues. …Detroit's best three forwards have apparently decided they have had enough of the team's recent struggles. Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Marian Hossa combined for five goals and seven points in a win over Washington. The trio also combined for 19 shots alone in the winning effort. Zetterberg has 18 points in his past 15 games, while Hossa has seven goals in his past five games. … We talked about Mats Sundin a little earlier in the blog, but the Canucks' forward might finally be playing like his old self. Sundin had two goals and took home first-star honors in a 6-4 win over St. Louis. For all the talk that Vancouver fans had about his signing leading to the destruction of the team, Sundin does have seven points in his past three games, and 10 points in 12 games since joining the club. He's still available in about 23 percent of ESPN.com leagues. … Strathroy, Ontario native Andy McDonald had a goal and an assist in his first game back after missing 36 games with a broken leg. It seems as if his new contract is suiting him well. He is owned in only 26 percent of ESPN.com leagues, and when healthy, has been better than a point-per-game player. … Keep your eyes on Wednesday's box scores from the AHL. It's expected that Sean Avery will play with the Hartford Wolf Pack after practicing with the team Tuesday. If he plays well, he could soon be back in the NHL and could provide a boost to your fantasy team in the penalty minutes and scoring categories.
