Jagr traded to Washington

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded star forward Jaromir Jagr to the Washington Capitals today for three 20–year–old prospects.

In exchange for the five–time NHL scoring champion, the Penguins get centers Kris Beech and Michael Sivek and defenceman Ross Lupaschuk.

Washington also gets veteran defenceman Frantisek Kucera.

At a news conference in Pittsburgh, Penguins general manager Craig Patrick said he called Jagr in his native Czech Republic today to tell him about the trade.

"He wanted to move on so he's glad at this point it's over with. It's difficult to trade someone who has been here 11 years and accomplished so much," Patrick said.

Capitals GM George McPhee said his main objective for the upcoming season was to boost the team's offense.

"Acquiring one of the top offensive players in the league addresses that need," George McPhee said in a statement. "Our team is a better team today as a result of this trade and we will continue to work to make the club better."

Pittsburgh led the NHL with 281 goals last season, while Washington's offense ranked only 13th.

The 29–year–old Jagr, who led the NHL in scoring each of the last four years, joins a team that already features scoring star Peter Bondra.

The Penguins, with 18 free agents including Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka, Robert Lang and Darius Kasparaitis, could not afford Jagr. He is owed $20.7 million over the next two seasons and is eligible for unrestricted free agency after that.

Washington, however, is a surprise destination. Reports had pointed the smooth winger in the direction of the New York Rangers, one of the few teams that could afford him.

When asked why he chose Washigton for the trade off, Penguins GM Craig Patrick said that it was "the only deal that made sense to us.

The Czech, one of the flashiest players in ice hockey, won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999, and has played in the NHL All–Star game seven times.

He led the NHL with 121 points last season, when he shared the league lead with 69 assists and was third with 52 goals.

The 11–year veteran has 1,079 points for 439 goals and 640 assists in 806 career games, all with Pittsburgh.

Jagr played for Stanley Cup–winning Penguins teams in 1991 and 1992. He also starred for the gold–winning Czech team at the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan.

This year, he helped lead them to the Eastern Conference finals while winning a fifth NHL scoring title and his fourth in a row with 121 points. He had 52 goals and 69 assists.