Peter DeBoer isn’t worried about Jaromir Jagr missing his second straight day of training camp.
That’s what the Devils head coach told NHL.com on Friday as Jagr, the club’s 41-year-old free agent signee, missed a controlled scrimmage with “soreness.”
“I’m not overly concerned about it, but because time is definitely on our side we’ll err on the side of caution,” DeBoer said.
Jagr was on the ice briefly for Thursday’s opening skate, but quickly left the ice after reporters observed him “wincing” after playing on a line with Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias.
Even though Jagr is the oldest player on the team and one of the league’s elder statesmen, DeBoer didn’t sound worried at all about No. 68’s health.
“I think there are different types of soreness,” DeBoer explained. “It’s a different level when you step out onto the ice and it’s not the first time I’ve dealt with guys who had aches and pains on the first day.”
It should be noted that fellow New Jersey veterans like Elias, Dainius Zubrus and Andy Greene also sat out the scrimmage.
UPDATE
According to Rich Chere of the New Jersey Star-Ledger, Jagr was the only Devil not to participate in Friday’s post-scrimmage practice.