Coming into this season all Jaromir Jagr had to do to extend his current contract was to do what he had done both years with the Rangers, score 84 points.

When he didn’t it left people wondering how much he had left in him and some even openly speculated about his retirement.

“I don’t think I’m going to retire from hockey,” said Jagr after the game five loss to Pittsburgh. “I’m going to play somewhere, I don’t know where. I don’t want to make any decisions 30 minutes after we lost the hockey game.”

Five goals and 10 assists in just 10 games during the playoffs all while carrying the team offensively tends to give you lots of options. If Jagr accepts a deal agreeable to the Rangers (as in a large pay cut) he could stay in New York, but it has also been widely speculated that he could end up playing in Russia.

“I don’t think I’m in different shoes,” he said. “The year before, I knew what was going to happen. This year, it’s going to happen wherever I want it to happen. Whatever’s gonna make me happy, that’s what I’m going to do. But it’s going to take time, I have to talk to my dad, my friends, they look at it differently than I do, I’m sure they’re gonna give me good advice on what I should do.”

If Jagr stays in the NHL there likely wouldn’t be a shortage of suitors, but the Rangers might not make him happiest. Perhaps one of the reasons Jagr was not able to reach that 84 point plateau had more to do with his line-mates than his ability. For most of this season he was paired up with rookie center Brandon Dubinsky and when he did play with Scott Gomez or Chris Drury as his pivot things never clicked well.

The Rangers are more of a defensive minded club anyway and a move to a team like Carolina or Montreal could do wonders for his stat sheet. If he also has cup aspirations Detroit might be a good fit as well. He might be interested in being reunited with his former team the Pittsburgh Penguins; especially if they loose Marian Hossa to free agency.

Most of his future will be determined by where he feels like playing and how much he wants to be paid to play there. One thing is for sure though - he won’t be retiring.

“It would probably be a tough situation if I didn’t know I was going to play anymore,” Jagr said. “But I still feel like I got many years left if I decide to work at it. It’s all about work ethic and how hard you want to work. I would have to work hard; harder than anyone else.”

If he worked a little bit harder during this season he wouldn’t be left wondering where he was going to play during his next.