Happy Independence Day to all of my U.S. readers. While we are enjoying a day off with our families and friends, let's give a special thank you to all of the brave men and women who have fought -- militarily and otherwise -- for our nation's freedoms.

Anyone who was expecting some pre-holiday fireworks in the NHL's free agent market instead got another dud of a day with very little going on except for Jaromir Jagr opting to leave the Flyers and accept a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars.

Over on my Stars blog on HockeyBuzz, I discussed at length my views on Jagr's "surprising" decision to sign with the Stars (which is actually not a surprise at all when his likely top-six role on the team, the money he was offered and the challenge of helping the Stars overcome two consecutive narrow misses in making the playoffs are weighed together).

The Flyers, who need to mindful of the cap ceiling and still have astounding offers on the table to Parise and Suter, simply were not able or willing to offer Jagr want he wanted -- a significant raise on last year's contract and a pledge that he would remain on Claude Giroux's line with a chance to get back on the first power play unit.

The Stars, who needed to add salary to get above the cap floor once they re-sign Jamie Benn and their other restricted free agents, were able offer Jagr $4.5 million. While they don't have Claude Giroux, Benn is emerging as a top NHL center in his own right and Loui Eriksson is one of the best two-way wingers in the sport. Along with fellow 40-year-old Ray Whitney, Jagr is likely to see some time on the Benn line as well as with Derek Roy and Michael Ryder on the second line.

Now that Jagr is gone, the Flyers must go forward with a different plan in the likely event that Parise ends up somewhere other than Philadelphia. If the Flyers continue to seek Jagr's replacement through the free agent market, Shane Doan becomes the most prominent candidate (if he elects to leave Phoenix) left on the market.

Doan is capable not only of replacing Jagr's points from last season but also stepping into a locker room leadership role -- perhaps even as team captain. It is Jagr's presence in the room that will tough to replace, and Doan is one of the few who fits the bill perfectly. He also brings a much more physical presence on the ice.

Teemu Selänne is still an unrestricted free agent and is just about the league's only equivalent active player to Jagr in terms of international stature and career accomplishments. But Selänne appears unlikely to leave Anaheim and consider other options for a one-year contract to potentially finish out his career.

With the Ducks' recent signings of Sheldon Souray and Bryan Allen, they are no longer in need of a starting six defenseman in a potential deal for Bobby Ryan. Anaheim's starting six will consist of the aforementioned players, plus holdovers Cam Fowler, Luca Sbisa, Francois Beauchemin and Toni Lydman. They also have rookie Sami Vatanen (whom some scouts believe has a similar NHL upside to Justin Schultz, albeit in a smaller frame). Ex-Flyer Nate Guenin is a serviceable seventh defenseman.

As such, if there is a deal to be made for Ryan, it will have to focus on young, promising forward talent. Both Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf will be unrestricted free agents next summer. Teemu Selänne goes year-to-year at this point in this career, and next year may be his final season. Fellow Finn Saku Koivu is not much of an offensive threat and also goes year-to-year on his contract.

We'll see what unfolds once the Parise and Suter decisions get made.

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