Calgary Flames could move Jarome Iginla
Rumours have been swirling regarding the possibility of Calgary Flames winger and team captain Jarome Iginla being traded this season.
A recent report stated that the Flames were talking with the Los Angeles Kings about a deal that would see Iginla sent to LA in exchange for youngster Brayden Schenn. However, both sides quickly dismissed the report saying that they had not been in discussions.
Nevertheless, the questions on Iginla’s availability will continue to surround the Flames for the rest of the 2010-11 season, as the struggling and cash-strapped Flames are poised for a re-build.
Heading into the 2010-11 campaign nearly every hockey analyst predicted the downfall of the Flames and made it clear that Calgary was in need of a major re-build if they hoped to compete for a Stanley Cup in the next five years. Instead general manager Darryl
Sutter elected to patch holes in the line-up by bringing in more overpaid and underperforming players, such as Alex Tanguay, Olli Jokinen, and signing Matt Stajan to a lucrative four-year contract worth $3.5 million per season.
What the experts predicted has come true early in 2010-11. The Flames are the fourth worst team in the National Hockey League and the second worst team in the Western Conference. The club scores the 20th most goals in the League and its high-paid
defence allows the ninth most. They have the 23rd worst power play and an average penalty-kill. Making matters worse for the Flames is the fact that they have no cap space. The club is currently slammed up against the League maximum salary with
two players, Ales Kotalik and Daymond Langkow, on injured reserve. In addition, the squad only has eight players moving into unrestricted free agency at the end of the season, none of which earn more than $1.7 million per year. Calgary also has eight players,
who earn over $3 million locked up for at least two more seasons.
All these factors would make it very difficult for the Flames to rebuild even if they wanted to, not to mention that nearly all of the players making over $3 million are not legitimate trade bait.
All these factors make trading Iginla all the more enticing for the organization. Iginla is arguably their most marketable player and the one that will fetch the most return. In addition, Iginla is getting old and at 33 it is unlikely his number will improve
over the next two seasons. Iginla also earns $7 million per year over the next three years, which would represent a significant decrease against the cap. Trading away Iginla could bring in a player for the future and would certainly spark the rebuilding process.
However, dealing Iginla would not be easy. Firstly, Iginla has a no-movement clause, which would mean he would have to approve any potential trade the Flames wanted to make. Occasionally pundits underestimate the importance of these clauses, but as the Toronto
Maple Leafs learned with Matt Sundin, franchise players are not always open to being traded in the middle of a season. Moreover, Iginla’s giant contract will seriously limit Calgary’s trade partners. The winger will have to be moved to a team with $7 million
in cap space and the prospects to make such a trade possible. The trouble is the teams teams that generally meet these criteria are often going through a rebuild of their own and would not be interested in a 33-year-old winger.
Regardless of what happens to Iginla it has become clear that Calgary needs to change how the organization is run and if the 2010-11 season continues to be disappointing one can be sure that major changes will take place.
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