Not ready to call it a game

Strong finish gives Jagr a jump-start

JAROMIR JAGR He will attract interest

Welcome back, Jaromir Jagr.

Truth is, Jags never went away. But his game in recent years, especially this one, has sometimes been maddening. He often has been uninterested, and seemingly on a fast track to retirement - or to a golden-days money grab playing what amounts to the Masters Tour in Russia (see: Alexei Yashin).

But now what have we here? A check of the playoff scoring race Friday morning found Jagr, now 36 years old, atop the list with 5 goals and 10 assists. Second was Detroit's Johan Franzen, a.k.a. The Mule, who Thursday night scored a hat trick to aid in the Red Wings' second-round sweep of the Avalanche. The burst slotted the 28-year-old Franzen only 1 point behind Jagr.

With the Rangers on the brink of elimination, after dropping the first three games of their second-round series to the Penguins, Jagr scored twice and assisted on a third goal Thursday night, leading the Blueshirts to a 3-0 win. That's right, he factored in every goal, which is more along the lines of what the Blueshirts expect these days from the likes of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, their high-priced free agent acquisitions of last summer.

For Jagr, it was shades of yesteryear, when the baby-faced kid from Kladno (Czech Republic) helped Mario Lemieux & Co. to a pair of Cups (1991 and '92) in Pittsburgh, where Jagr contributed 37 points over two postseasons and emerged as one of the game's most sensational, dynamic talents.

By the looks of things - remember, looks can be deceiving - Jagr will not return to the Rangers next season. He made $8.36 million this year, playing at the end of a deal he signed in Washington that came with an option for 2008-09. But his year-end totals (25-46 -71) fell short of the deal's key trigger point, which most likely means his name will be stirred into the porridge of free agency as of July 1.

A month ago, the prospect of Jagr signing on again in New York, or anywhere else, appeared far-fetched, even though Jagr, for all his sometimes lackadaisical ways, still finished the season as the Rangers' top point-getter, 1 ahead of Gomez and 13 ahead of Drury. He also finished tied for 33d in league scoring, which, in a 30-team league, isn't all that bad. Also tied at No. 33: Olli Jokinen, Vinny Prospal, Paul Stastny, and Ales Hemsky. Take any of those guys on your team?

If the Rangers don't bring him back, Jagr will present a very tantalizing option for a lot of NHL clubs, especially if next month's "Goaltender Equipment Working Group" indeed gets around to restricting the use of growth hormones inside the pads and gloves.

Imagine a rejuvenated Jagr with more shooting space available. Just the kind of stuff, I'm certain, that brings a smile to the face of Brett Hull, the co-general manager in Dallas, where the Stars play the kind of buttoned-down defense that, though successful, has to have the Golden Brett breaking out in night sweats.

Last week, in remarks prior to Game 4, Jagr mused about the importance of maintaining a regular-season pace that doesn't lead to pre-April burnout.

"I wish I could play every game like I play in the playoffs, the whole season," he said. "But it's impossible. People remember you on some level, and if you don't produce on that level, guys say you don't have it anymore.

"Look at Wayne Gretzky. Did he score 200 points at age 35? I don't think so. But he was still better than 70-80 percent of the players in the NHL."

In other words, this old Jags is not the old Jags, but even with his "down" year of 71 points, he has averaged a fraction under 97 the last three seasons. Put him on the right team, surround him with the right players and right coach, and he just might deliver 80 points or more for the next couple of years. More important, he might light up the postseason again.

A risk? Of course. We need only look at the failed experiment of Jagr as the franchise player in Washington to know that he can be quirky and petulant. He was all of that at times this season in New York, too.

It comes and goes with Jagr, but it comes and goes with most players, few of whom can boast anything near a career résumé that reads: 646 goals, 953 assists, 1,599 points . . . and a pair of Cups.

Metropolit, Ward get offers

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Friday that he has extended contract offers to versatile forward Glen Metropolit and veteran defenseman Aaron Ward, both of whom are on target to become unrestricted free agents July 1.

"I can't tell you if we'll get them both done or not," said Chiarelli. "And if so, I don't think anything is imminent. But we'd like to have them back. And if they're not going to be back, it's better for both sides to know that early, for the sake of making plans."

Metropolit, who will turn 34 June 25, provided valuable depth up front this season, especially with the near-season-long absence of Patrice Bergeron. He also provided key help on the power play.

"We figured Glen would be a depth guy for us, but he ended up being more than that," said Chiarelli. "Going forward, we'd see him more in third- and fourth-line roles, help with the PK [penalty kill]. In terms of whether we can sign him . . . he's a reasonable guy, and he understands the business."

Ward, acquired from the Rangers at the February 2007 trade deadline for Paul Mara, turned 35 in January. He was a solid fit among the club's top four defensemen, able to balance physical presence and skill.

"The latter part of the year, he did a lot of good things for us," noted Chiarelli. "Philosophically, he's a really good fit for us. And monetarily . . . decent."

Metropolit, who came to September's camp without a contract, made $500,000 in 2007-08, and likely will seek a two-year pact. Ward signed a two-year deal worth a total $5.5 million with the Rangers in July 2006, less than a month after winning the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes. Rumor around Raleigh is that the Hurricanes, with GM Jim Rutherford on record saying he wants to improve the backline, would be eager for Ward to return.

This time, Frede has the Worlds at his fingertips

The IIHF World Championships kicked off Friday - if you know Denmark's top scorer, there's a place for you in hockey heaven - and Eric Frede, familiar to NESN viewers, will be on the microphone through May 18 for the World Championship Sports Network (www.wcsn.com).

"They've got me sitting here next to the Russian broadcast crew," said Frede, reached Friday as he settled into his broadcast perch at Le Colisee in Quebec City. "I'd ask them for the inside on the Russian squad, but I don't understand a word they're saying. I can tell you, though, they loaded up big-time at the Colisee gift shop."

Frede handled the same chores for WCSN last year when the games were played in Russia, calling them off a TV monitor in Milan, Italy. This time around, he'll call all the games (upward of 30) in Quebec City, while his partner, Steve Schlanger, calls the games being played in Halifax.

"If you love hockey, like I do, this is one great assignment," said Frede, who will typically call two games a day over the next couple of weeks. "And as much as I enjoyed doing it last year, off the monitor in Milan, it's just great to be here, firsthand, experiencing the whole thing."

The US team, with the likes of Bostonians Phil Kessel, Mark Stuart, and Tim Thomas, will play its games in Halifax and won't make it to Quebec City unless it reaches the medal round. The Russians, led by superstar Alexander Ovechkin, likely to be named the NHL's MVP next month, are stationed in Quebec City.

Ovechkin's playing status was initially unclear, because the insurance to cover his future NHL earnings was slow in coming together.

"The insurance is covered - someone paid it from somewhere," said Frede. "That's all we know."

Etc.

Swedes inspire forward thinking
Fabian Brunnstrom, the promising Swedish free agent forward, is likely to decide on an NHL contract by the end of this week. As of Friday, Boston's Peter Chiarelli had not been among the NHL general managers that Brunnstrom, along with agent J.P. Barry, met with in recent days. "I believe we are still in the mix," said Chiarelli. "I know he's making his visits" - reportedly Dallas, Montreal, and Detroit last week - "but I've been told that they aren't necessarily his top three choices." Meanwhile, Chiarelli remains hopeful that another big Swedish forward, center Carl Soderberg, will be in Bruins training camp in September. Acquired from St. Louis in last July's swap for Hannu Toivonen, Soderberg collected 44 points in 32 games this season with the Malmo Redhawks, who did not play well enough to move up to Sweden's elite league. "I'd prefer that he gets over here next season, either in the NHL or AHL," said Chiarelli. "I want him to get acclimated to the North American game a little bit. Take David Krejci, for example. He spent time in the AHL, and it did wonders for him. It would be great if he could get over here, get a feel for it, and maybe talk to guys like Krejci, and just find out what we're about over here."

Two-way street to free agency
Marian Hossa hasn't been the goal-scoring machine the Penguins envisioned when they swapped for him at the trading deadline. Headed into today's matinee with the Rangers, Hossa has three goals and 8 points in eight postseason games. "I'm not a pure goal scorer," Hossa told the Pittsbugh Post Gazette. "I'm not like [Alexander] Ovechkin or [Ilya] Kovalchuk. I'm not in that category. I'm more of a two-way guy." Makes one wonder how much the 29-year-old winger will be able to command in free agency. He is considered the hottest goal-scoring commodity in the market, and after making $7 million last season, his asking price on a long-term deal is expected to be at least $8 million a year. For $8 million a year, GMs expect the two-way part but pay for the bushels of goals. The Bruins, desperate for "finishers," still have Hossa high on their shopping list, but look for Dallas and perhaps the Kings to be aggressive in their courtship.

Burns still has the fire
Ex-Bruins coach Pat Burns, now assisting Ken Hitchcock in coaching Team Canada at the World Championships, is expected to be among the candidates GM Bryan Murray considers to take over the Ottawa bench. Others are Pat Quinn, Bob Hartley, and perhaps John Tortorella, if "Torts" gets torched as part of the ownership change in Tampa. Quinn prefers a style that has his club trading chances with the opposition, and given the skill of Ottawa's forwards, he could quickly become the No. 1 candidate. Meanwhile, Burns, according to reports out of Team Canada's camp, has been his same old self on the ice, barking orders and showing his temper. A softer, gentler approach? Not for Burns, who was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, and required 2 1/2 years of chemotherapy to rid his colon and liver of the disease. "I don't want people to get the wrong idea - I'm not [working with Team Canada] to promote Pat Burns," he said.

Loose pucks
The Bruins haven't nailed down the date for their summer development camp in Wilmington, but the working time period would be the days soon after the July 4 holiday, a stretch that will have the Twins and Orioles visiting the Red Sox. No doubt some of the spoked-B wannabes will make the pilgrimage to Fenway that week . . . Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman will have surgery to repair a hernia this week. According to Chiarelli, doctors expect it will be a routine procedure to repair an injury that Wideman sustained about a quarter of the way through the season. Wideman, 25, becomes a restricted free agent July 1 and is due a hefty raise over his 2007-08 earnings of $600,000 . . . According to Chiarelli, ex-Bruins coach Marc Habscheid, shown the door along with Dave Lewis here last June, remains home in Saskatchewan. "I think he'd like to get back into coaching," said Chiarelli. "We initially talked about having him do some things for us, organizationally, but then decided not to go that way. I know he had a couple of leads on coaching jobs, and I suspect that's the way he'll go." Meanwhile, the Bruins must pay Habscheid, 45, through the 2009-10 season . . . Brian Campbell hasn't supplied the offensive trigger finger the Sharks expected when they acquired him from the Sabres. He picked up only three assists in the seven-game set with Calgary, then a goal and three assists in the first five games vs. Dallas. When it was suggested to him that close pal Joe Thornton needed to pick up his game if the Sharks were to get by the Stars, he snapped, "Maybe Joe needs a little more out of us." Campbell had 19 points in his 20 regular-season games with the Sharks and has been considered a cinch to sign a long-term deal to remain in teal. Another second-round knockout for the Sharks (their third straight in the Thornton era) could widen the field of bidders for Campbell . . . The Penguins and Rangers square off today in Pittsburgh, and ex-Bruin Mike Milbury will take over Pierre Maguire's "Inside the Glass" role - commenting from between the two benches - during the NBC telecast. "I love it down there," said Milbury. "It gets you right into the action, and you're more in touch with the emotion of the game." Old pal Bob Neumeier, who started out as a Globe copyboy, will be Milbury's studio partner between periods after a quick flight north following his Kentucky Derby duties. Once a Whalers broadcaster, Neumeier chose "Brass Bonanza" as the official Whalers theme song.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.