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Jaromir Jagr (68) says his agent will be responsible for working out a new contract with the Devils.

(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA – Devils right wing Jaromir Jagr seemed surprised that there's any question of his intentions for next season.

Yes, the 42-year-old wants to keep playing.

And, yes, he wants to return for a second season with the Devils.

“Of course,” Jagr said after the Devils’ morning skate at Wells Fargo Center.

Asked if he already knows for sure that the Devils will be his first choice, Jagr responded, “Back in Jersey? I hope so.”

At this point, Jagr hasn’t talked to Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello about a new contract. Actually, he says he’ll leave it to his agent Petr Svoboda.

"I didn't talk to anybody," Jagr, who leads the Devils with 55 points in 65 games. “It’s my agent’s job to do it."

Jagr signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Devils last summer that carries only a $2 million cap hit plus a $2 million bonus that he received for appearing in 40 games.

Jagr, who turned 42 on Feb. 15, says he didn't have many options for this season.

"I was happy I got signed," he said. "It's not like they were throwing contracts at me. The salary cap went down and salaries went down for a lot of teams."

Despite his success this season, Jagr talks like he believes few teams again will be interested for next season.

Jagr was reminded that the cap, which dropped from $70.2 million in 2012-13 to $64.3 million this season, is projected to go back up to at least $69 million next season.

"Yeah, but I'm 42," Jagr said. "It's not that easy anymore. It doesn't matter how good you play or how good of a season you have," Jagr said. "A lot of guys will still look at your age. It don’t matter what you can do. It's a lot easier (to find a job) when you’re young. You don’t have to be good."

Jagr's first season with the Devils has been a smashing success. Besides all of his points, he's become a team leader and a fan favorite. He also passed a lot of big names on the NHL's all-time goals, assists and points list. Two weeks ago, he became the seventh player to score 700 goals.

“With the way he’s playing hockey now, he could play for another five or six years,” said Flyers right wing Jakub Voracek, a teammate of Jagr on the Czech national team in last month's Sochi Olympics.

Jagr says he's had fun this season playing for the Devils because he's been on the first line getting a lot of ice time.

"They gave me an opportunity to play a lot," he said. "Maybe not lately, but most of the nights I was playing around 20 minutes. That's what I love. There's probably not many teams that can give me that. When you want to play the game, you want to play."

Jagr’s 19:02 of ice time per game is the second highest among Devils forwards, behind only linemate Travis Zajac’s 20:12. A lot of ice time, Jagr says, actually allows him to take it easy on himself during practices, although his strenuous off-ice workouts and desire to skate every day are legendary.

“It’s working in many ways,” he said. “When you play a lot, you don’t have to work during the practices that hard because you got those minutes in the games. Five extra minutes in the hockey game is probably equal to 45 minutes of hard practice.”

A five-time scoring champ during his younger days in Pittsburgh, Jagr’s point total this season is his highest since he had 71 playing for the Rangers in 2007-08, the season before he left the NHL for three years to play in Russia’s KHL.

"There are a lot of guys that had a lot of talent, even when they were younger, but if you don't work hard, you're never going to build up the talent," Jagr said. "It's going to stay inside of you. And when you open up the talent that you've got, you have to keep it. And the only way to keep the talent is through hard work.

"Hard work and talent make great things, but one without the other does not work."

Despite all the work it takes to keep him successful, Jagr says he's not thinking about retiring.

"I can play 10 (more seasons)," Jagr said with a laugh. "I don't know what kind of level."