Kovacevic: Jaromir Jagr's Decision To Sign With Flyers All About Money

Read More: Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers

Dejan Kovacevic argues that Jaromir Jagr's decision to ditch the Pittsburgh Penguins in order to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers wasn't about sticking it to the Pens and their fans, as much as it might have looked that way. Instead, it was pure greed.

So you know this much for sure: Jagr's decision had nothing to do with winning, a coach's system, a comfort level and certainly not legacy. The Flyers simply swooped in Thursday and tossed more cash on the table.

This wasn't about greener pastures. It was about going for the green.

Kovacevic has all kinds of inside information that I'm sure points in this direction, but you don't even need to be an insider to figure this out. What else could possibly be motivating Jagr? He's done serious damage to his reputation here - overnight, he became a hated figure in Pittsburgh, and the drama that surrounded his signing became national news. He turned down a chance to play for an owner he says he respects, with the best player in the world as his teammate, for a fanbase that would have loved him, in a town where he has a house.

So what does that leave? Money. Which is bizarre, because if Jagr has any sense at all, he has a lot of money stashed away. As Kovacevic points out, the $1.3 million difference between what the Flyers and Penguins offered should have been a drop in the bucket for him. But that's what he went with. Bizarre.