Pens plan to keep Kennedy, land Jagr
The Penguins cut Tyler Kennedy loose Monday, but general manager Ray Shero said he wants to re-sign him before NHL free agency begins Friday.
Shero also hopes to reach a tentative agreement on a one-year deal with Jaromir Jagr before Friday, industry sources told the Tribune-Review last night.
Kennedy, a right winger, became an unrestricted free agent after the Penguins chose not to tender him a qualifying offer by a 5 p.m. deadline yesterday. Shero said that decision was made to avoid an arbitration hearing.
“We want clarity in this situation. By doing this we get the most clarity,” Shero said. “An arbitration hearing can go into early August. We want to know what’s going on before then.”
Shero also said he planned to speak with Jagr’s agent, Petr Svoboda, either last night or today. The
Penguins aren’t known to have made Jagr an offer as of last night, but team officials spent yesterday seriously considering the option of signing Jagr, sources said.
Shero also said he wants one or both of two unrestricted free agent forwards — Mike Rupp and Pascal Dupuis — signed before Friday, when free agency begins at noon.
Of the players Shero is targeting, only Jagr can’t be signed before Friday per the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. However, Jagr’s camp would like to have parameters of a deal worked out before Friday, sources said.
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