I know that hockey is a team game, and a team is the sum of its parts, but the Rangers would not have been a good team from 2005-today if it weren't for Lundqvist, who aside from this season and the last shortened season never had less than 35 wins on a team with huge roster turnovers from year to year.
Since we were basically horrible for 7 years prior to the 2005-2006 season, there wasn't too far for the team to fall, so by the team finishing 3rd in the division for all of Jagr's tenure and actually making the playoffs, Jagr contributed to making us 'good" with any comparison to the dark ages, but let's give credit due where it's really due, King Henrik.
Furthermore, one could easily say the extra 4.5 wins the Rangers had over finishing dead last in the league in 2004 and missing drafting another franchise player beside Lundqvist means we may not have been a loser in the Jagr acquisition considering the Capitals haven't been steam rolling the league since that draft, but Jagr's huge output after the lockout not withstanding, were not the winners either.
Besides, after Jagr's departure he hasn't posted more than 54 points (on pace for a magical 68 points this season, which may be a huge reach after the olympics). Moreover, the same knock on the Rangers both from Jagr's tenure and today are the lack of impact centers, which was a reason the team signed Gomez and Drury in the same summer.
I have always been an avid Jagr fan, but regardless of his current political issues with his original team, 68 will always be a Penguin over a Ranger when one not only looks at the contribution he gave to his respective team, but also his impact on head to head match ups between the two teams on both sides.
In conclusion, although the mantra of this forum is often "anything could happen," "who knows," and "what could have been...," I don't believe we would have been any better than we are today if we kept Jagr.