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Jarome Iginla

Trade Candidates: Jarome Iginla

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

Jarome Iginla is a legend with very bad luck. He’s a six-time All-Star, a two-time Maurice Richard winner, and a past Art Ross recipient. He’s third among active players in points, second in goals, and fourth in assists. He’s a sure-fire future Hall of Famer. However, in his 20-year NHL career, Iginla has not won a Stanley Cup. The face of the franchise for the Calgary Flames for 16 seasons, Iginla holds just about every career offensive record for the team. But, when the Flames made a Cup run in 2004, his 22 points in 26 games were not enough to seal the deal as the Flames fell in Game 7 of the Finals to the Tampa Bay Lighting by a score of 2-1. After years of first rounds exits in Calgary following that close call, Iginla asked for a trade in 2013 at the age of 35 in his hunt for a title. Ironically, Iginla vetoed a trade to the Boston Bruins, instead opting to join the Pittsburgh Penguins, only to have the Bruins end his Cup hopes in the Eastern Conference finals. The Bruins would then fall to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup. Many have opined that if the Bruins had Iginla rather than Jaromir Jagr in 2013, they would have won their second Stanley Cup in three years. Iginla tried to erase his mistake by signing with the Bruins for the 2013-14 season, but it was too late. A much better fit in Boston than in Pittsburgh, Iginla’s efforts again were still not enough, as the President’s Trophy-winning Bruins lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.

While Iginla had some close calls in Calgary, Pittsburgh, and Boston, his next decision was as far off as possible in his search for Lord Stanley. Iginla signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, expecting the young team to grow into strong contenders during his tenure. In 2016-17, his third year with the team, the Avalanche are instead the worst team in the NHL. Mere games away from statistical elimination, Colorado stands no chance at making the playoffs this season and, if he’s not traded, Iginla’s title championship dreams may forever remain unfulfilled. His play has dropped off as he approaches 40 years old, with just 14 points in 50 games. It is expected that Iginla will call it a career at the end of this season. With nothing to lose in trading the valuable veteran and with a General Manager in Joe Sakic who understands the importance of a respected veteran winning a title (see: Ray Bourque, 2001), the Avalanche seem likely to move Iginla.

Contract

Iginla is in the final season of a three-year, $16MM contract that he signed with Colorado when free agency opened in 2014. His $5.33MM cap hit will be pro-rated to about $1.5MM at the Trade Deadline.

2016-17

Iginla has been a high-end point producer deep into his playing years. With Boston in 2013-14, Iginla had 61 points in 78 games and in his first two seasons in Colorado, he had 106 points combined while playing every single game. In 2016-17, Iginla has hit a wall. The 39-year-old has just seven goals and seven assists through 50 games for the Avalanche. It is almost a foregone conclusion that, traded or not, Iginla will have the lowest scoring season of his career. His shooting percentage is also a career-worst and significantly below his average and his hits are way down as well; Iginla is no longer an elite sniper nor an elite checker. As could be assumed, all of this has led to Iginla averaging his least amount of ice time in 18 years.

Despite all of this, one of the game’s great veterans is still a valuable asset. He may not be a high-end scorer or defensive player any more, but on the right team and fueled by a desire to finally win a Cup, he can still be effective in those areas. His leadership and locker room presence is also invaluable, especially to young teams. Iginla may be at the end of the line in his career, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t go out with a bang.

Season Stats

50 GP: 7 goals, 7 assists, 14 points, -16, 100 shots, 7% shooting percentage, 59 hits, 14:44 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Iginla has made it known that he would like to be traded. Obviously, he will only be interested in top teams with realistic shots at making it out their respective conference, giving the 20-year veteran a final shot at the Stanley Cup. However, these teams will also have to have the cap space to squeeze in his pro-rated cap hit. The Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and a return to the Pittsburgh Penguins would all be logical destinations and have previously expressed interest in one way or another, but all three teams would need to make other roster changes to fit Iginla in under the salary cap.

Instead, two teams that jump out as having the space and the need for some bottom-six depth and playoff experience are the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets. The two biggest surprises of the season are also in need of some additional depth and have the cap flexibility to add Iginla without having to surrender too much trade capital. With solid goaltending and defense already in place in Minnesota, Iginla likely has his best shot at a Stanley Cup by joining the Wild and strengthening their forward corps.

Likelihood Of A Trade

The Avalanche have no reason not to trade Iginla and actually would face some significant backlash if they chose not to. Assuming someone with space and need comes calling, Iginla will almost surely be traded. Finishing off a phenomenal career with a championship would certainly be a fitting end for Iginla.

Jarome Iginla Hoping To Be Traded

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While he had previously been non-committal as to whether or not he would like to be traded between now and the deadline, Colorado right winger Jarome Iginla indicated to Josh Cooper of Puck Daddy that he is hopeful for a move:

“I would like to, at the deadline, go somewhere. I would like to be in the playoffs. I would hope that there is some opportunity to go and play in the playoffs. Those are the best games, the most fun for sure, and you have a chance to win. So no, I haven’t given up on that chance to win.”

He added that he has not yet approached management about asking for a trade or waiving his no-move clause.

2016-17 has not gone well for Iginla or the Avalanche, who sit dead last in the league with just 13 wins and 28 points in 48 games this season.  As for the 39 year old, he is having the worst season of his 20 year career with just six goals and six assists in those 48 games while averaging a career low 14:48 per game.

While it’s unlikely that a contender would be viewing him as a legitimate top six option up front, there should be several teams who would be willing to use him in a bottom six role while valuing his leadership.  Iginla undoubtedly would be motivated by a trade to a contender as well to give him a chance at his first Stanley Cup title.  He also has plenty of postseason experience, seeing time in 81 games while being quite productive with 37 goals and 31 assists.

Making things work financially will prove to be somewhat of a challenge.  Iginla is in the final season of a three year, $16MM contract (a $5.33MM AAV) he signed back in the summer of 2014 with a salary of $5MM this year and most contending teams don’t have that much cap space to work with.  As a result, it seems likely that a move will be closer to deadline day itself to reduce the financial obligation of the acquiring team unless the Avalanche are willing to retain a significant portion of the contract; they can retain up to 50%.

NHL Names Top 100 Players Of All Time

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Last night on the NBC Sports Network, the NHL released the top 100 players of all time and the debate, which has raged long before this was released, will continue on. Hosted by actor Jon Hamm, the ceremony honored players by decade, and categorized them by goalies, defensemen, and forwards.

The first thirty-three were released on New Years Day during the Centennial Classic in Toronto. The players named in the first thirty-three were active between 1917-1966. The rest, named last night, have played from 1967 to the present day.

There were a number of story lines:

  • Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press wrote that Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, and Wayne Gretzky agree that Gordie Howe is the greatest hockey player of all time. Gretzky added that while Sidney Crosby is the greatest in the game today, Connor McDavid is making the case to “chase him” as the next in line.
  • Speaking of Crosby’s generation, the selection of the more recent players to the top 100 caused quite the debate around the hockey world. The arguments boil down into a couple ways: either include more current players by subtracting players from other decades or be more selective in the current generation. The six on the current list were Jaromir Jagr, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin.
  • The Score’s Sean O’Leary thinks that Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, and Joe Thornton should have “cracked” the list. O’Leary believes that Malkin is a lock for the top 100, while Iginla, though never winning a Cup, was a dominant force in the league, scoring 617 goals in his long (and still active) career.
  • Curtis Pashelka also wonders why Joe Thornton isn’t included on the list. His stats alone seem to qualify him for the top 100, but the lack of a Stanley Cup makes Pashelka think that it kept Thornton out of the illustrious club.
  • Finally, Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski includes his list of snubs which name the aforementioned Iginla, Malkin, and Thornton. But Wyshysnki also lists Zdeno Chara, Ed Belfour, Dale Hawerchuk, and Pierre Pilote as players deserving of inclusion.

 

Central Division Snapshots: Blackhawks, Avalanche, Korpikoski

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The Chicago Blackhawks roster still boasts many of the key contributors who have led the team to three Stanley Cup championships since 2010. And as long as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford are healthy, the Hawks will be on the short list of Western Conference contenders even as the front office constantly juggles the rest of the roster to augment that core while remaining compliant with the salary cap.

That doesn’t mean the Blackhawks aren’t in need of reinforcements as the March 1st trade deadline approaches, however. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times argues Chicago desperately needs a top left wing in order to help pull Toews out of his season long scoring slump. For his career, Toews has averaged 0.86 points/game but so far this season he is nearly three-tenths-of-a-point behind that rate. Lazerus believes that the acquisition of a proven top-six winger would allow Vinnie Hinostroza to slot into the team’s bottom-six, further bolstering that group. In conjunction with the expected return of Marcus Kruger, the Blackhawks would be able to ice four solid and balanced lines in this scenario.

Lazerus lists Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, who have both been frequently mentioned in trade rumors of late, as two potential options. Though given the team’s current salary cap situation – $65.7MM in commitments to just 14 players – it’s far more likely that Chicago will stick to shopping in the rental bin as opposed to adding a player with term remaining beyond this season.

James van Riemsdyk was also listed by Lazerus as a possibility though Toronto would likely hold onto the winger as long as they remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. He also has one more year remaining on his deal, representing an additional sticking point in this scenario. Jarome Iginla is undoubtedly available but at 39 and with just five goals through 41 games this season, Chicago would probably exhaust other alternatives before pivoting in this direction.

If Dallas decides to sell at the deadline, former Blackhawk Patrick Sharp could represent an interesting option, though that is just my speculation. Sharp has missed time this season on two separate occasions with concussions and has just two goals on the season but tallied 20 last year for the Stars. He’s in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $5.9MM and given Chicago will only have roughly $3.3MM of available space at the deadline, the Stars will either have to retain salary or take back a contract to facilitate a trade.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • The Colorado Avalanche, in the midst of a second straight dismal season, appear to be on the verge of a major shakeup, whether that occurs at the trade deadline or during the summer. Multiple high-profile players could be shipped elsewhere as management attempts to fix what ails the roster. The Denver Post’s Terry Frei compiled a comprehensive listing of the moves the team has made since Joe Sakic took over as the organization’s top decision-maker and the results are as you would expect given the current state of the team. Like many teams, the Avalanche have blundered when it comes to the term offered to unrestricted free agents. Among the players acquired either as a free agent or via trade and then subsequently extended were Brad Stuart, Jarome Iginla, Francois Beachemin, and Carl Soderberg. All were at least 30 when added to the Avalanche roster and only Soderberg was younger than 34. Needless to say, those deals haven’t worked out as the team had anticipated.
  • A late free agent addition that has panned out far better than expected was the Dallas Stars October signing of forward Lauri Korpikoski, as Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News writes. The Finnish forward had been bought out of the final year of his deal with Edmonton and was later released from his PTO with Calgary. In need of forward depth following the loss of Ales Hemsky and Mattias Janmark, the team inked Korpikoski to a one-year, $1M deal. While he hasn’t exactly lit up the score sheet, the nine-year veteran has contributed six goals and 15 points in 43 games. That’s solid production for a bottom-six winger and a relative bargain given the minimal investment the Stars undertook. Additionally, Stars head coach Lindy Ruff appreciates Korpikoski’s all-around game, saying: “He’s a solid contributor who is good on both sides of the puck. You’ve got a guy who is pretty diligent and plays the game the right way.” With five of his fellow forwards also set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, it’s at least possible Dallas considers an extension with Korpikoski.

 

Snapshots: Fisher, Myers, Milestones, Lightning

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When it comes to the pending Las Vegas expansion draft, many teams are likely to go with the 7-3-1 protection route (seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie) over protecting eight skaters plus a goaltender.  One of the exceptions is the Nashville Predators, who have four blueliners that are pretty much ‘must-protect’ in P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm.

That means that just four forwards could be protected and as ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun writes, it could play a role when it comes to pending unrestricted free agent center Mike Fisher.  It seems likely that there is mutual interest in him sticking around beyond this season given his ties to the market but if they opt to extend him now, that will then result in one more quality forward being exposed to the Golden Knights.  As things stand, it’s likely that all but one of forwards Viktor Arvidsson, Calle Jarnkrok, Colin Smith, and Colin Wilson will have to be left unprotected as it is.

As a result, LeBrun wonders if the two sides will wait until the draft passes before getting a new contract done.  That way, the team can protect an extra forward while Fisher avoids the risk of being extended and then exposed (which would be a legitimate possibility given who they are already slated to leave unprotected).  It’s a strategy that is likely to be used by many teams as they look to limit the amount of talent they have to leave available for Vegas to pick from.

Other news and notes from around the league:

  • Jets defenseman Tyler Myers has taken a leave of absence from the team to attend to a family matter, notes Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press. There is no timetable for his return.  Myers has already been out of the lineup since November 11th due to a lower body injury but has started skating as he works towards a return to game action.
  • Tonight will mark a milestone for Colorado right winger Jarome Iginla. He will suit up in his 1,514th career game, tying him with Tampa GM and long-time Red Wings center Steve Yzerman for 15th overall in league history.  Meanwhile, fellow winger Blake Comeau will also reach a milestone as he’ll suit up in his 600th NHL contest.
  • Although Tampa Bay has struggled as of late, the team is not planning on making any changes to their coaching staff, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. On the trade front, Yzerman told Smith that he’d like to add to their current core but acknowledged he may have to deal from it to address certain team needs.  While he didn’t specify what needs those might be, they’ve long been searching for an upgrade at defense and the team has several forwards that could be moved in order to secure some help on the back end.

Latest Colorado Trade Talk

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The Colorado Avalanche have been in discussions with the Boston Bruins regarding left winger and captain Gabriel Landeskog, reports longtime Colorado writer Adrian Dater, currently with Bleacher Report (all links to Twitter).

The Avs are in need of quality young defensemen and asked for rookie Brandon Carlo but the Bruins aren’t willing to move him at this time.  Dater suggests that young blueliners Jakub Zboril and Joe Morrow, as well as left wing prospect Jake DeBrusk could be part of a potential package for Landeskog along with their first round pick.  Making a trade like that, one where a top forward is going for predominantly a collection of futures, could constitute the beginning of a larger-scale rebuild and there’s no evidence to suggest that GM Joe Sakic is willing to consider that route at this time.

Earlier this week, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the Avs had trade discussions regarding Landeskog around the Draft Lottery in April that would have seen them land an established defenseman in return.  The belief was that the blueliner in question was Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba but talks regarding him never rematerialized.  Dreger also noted that Sakic is more inclined to move center Matt Duchene and that his preference is to keep Landeskog.

The 24 year old winger is in his sixth NHL season, all with Colorado and has struggled this season, collecting just 12 points (6-6-12) in 28 games.  He also carries a cap hit of just over $5.57MM, which most teams wouldn’t be able to absorb without sending some money back.  It’s worth noting that Boston is one of the few teams who could as they sit comfortably under the salary cap.

In a reader mailbag, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post suggests that Duchene is likely to fetch the biggest return but isn’t sure Sakic will move one of his top forwards now.  He wonders if the GM may wait until the offseason before deciding whether or not to change the core or to try and build around it.

The team does have several pending unrestricted free agents that could move as rental players.  Those are forwards Jarome Iginla, John Mitchell, Rene Bourque, and Andreas Martinsen plus defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Cody Goloubef although the Avalanche shouldn’t expect significant returns on any of those players.

With Colorado sitting at the bottom of the league standings with a 12-25-1 record and being 17 points out of a playoff spot, they’re a clear seller come trade deadline time.  There’s sure to be plenty of discussion regarding the likes of Landeskog and Duchene between now and then.   With so few guaranteed sellers, they’re certainly a team to watch in the weeks ahead.

Central Division Snapshots: Iginla, Blues, Weber

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One of the few teams at this point in the season virtually assured of becoming a trade deadline seller is the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche currently have the league’s worst record and rumors have already begun to circulate that they could attempt to move major core pieces as soon as this month. Even if they stay the course with their core group, yet again, it’s likely the club will still look to deal players with expiring contracts and/or complementary veteran assets. One of those pieces is Jarome Iginla, and according to Adrian Dater, one potential suitor for the longtime NHL star could be the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago boasts a potent top line consisting of Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane. That trio has combined for 42 goals and 63 assists this season. The Hawks also have Jonathan Toews, one of the league’s top all-around centers, and terrific two-way winger Marian Hossa but have struggled in recent years to find another winger to fill out the line.

In his tweet, Dater indicates Iginla could function as a “replacement” for Hossa, but since the Slovakian winger is expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow, it’s unclear how, or even if, that would impact Chicago’s rumored interest in Iginla. It’s quite possible the Hawks would view the former Flames sniper as a player in need of a change-of-scenery and one who could contribute some big goals down the stretch and into the playoffs for a team with aspirations of capturing their fourth Stanley Cup in the last eight seasons.

Iginla is in the final season of a three-year deal with an AAV of $5.33MM and would qualify as a pure rental for any team looking to deal for him. After back-to-back strong seasons of 29 and 22 goals, the 39-year-old right wing has slumped to just five through 37 games this season for Colorado. However, a move to a playoff race, particularly if allowed to play with gifted offensive players like Toews and Hossa, could help rejuvenate the 20-year veteran.

The Blackhawks would have to figure out how to fit Iginla in under the salary cap as according to Cap Friendly, the team is slated to have just under $2MM in space at the deadline. They could certainly open up more room by reassigning a young player to the minor leagues and also could try to convince Colorado to take back salary by swapping a more valuable asset to the Avalanche in a hypothetical move.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • The St. Louis Blues are pushing for a renovation of the Scottrade Center and a recent proposal submitted to the city’s Board of Alderman seeks $67.5MM in taxpayer funds to help pay for it, as Mike Faulk and Koran Addo of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch write. According to the proposal, the city’s contributions would come from sales tax already generated at the venue and with a 1% sales tax on Blues tickets. The team’s Chairman, Tom Stillman, argues the arena is outdated and the renovations are necessary not only to satisfy the Blues’ needs but to ensure other events, such as NCAA basketball tournament games, remain in St. Louis: “The Scottrade Center is no longer competitive,” said Blues Chairman Tom Stillman, adding that NCAA and concert promoters have warned that they will stop coming to St. Louis without upgrades to compete with facilities in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, Tenn., and elsewhere. The team and the city also plan to petition the state for money for the renovation but governor-elect Eric Greitens has previously opposed taxpayer funding for stadiums/arenas, calling it “welfare for millionaires.” Whether Greitens’ reluctance to allocate public funds for such a project could hinder or even halt renovation is unclear. Additionally, if renovations are not completed on the arena, it’s unknown if that would prompt ownership to pursue moving the team to another market.
  • Nashville welcomed back Shea Weber for his first visit to the city as a member of the Montreal Canadiens last night. And while seeing the former team captain in a different sweater must have been bittersweet for many fans, particularly given Nashville’s struggles and P.K. Subban’s health issues, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean writes that ultimately the trade sending Weber to Montreal is one that shouldn’t be viewed with regret. Vingan argues that the reasons the trade was made last June still apply today. Simply put, Subban is younger and swifter than his counterpart and in four years, when Weber is 35 and likely well on the down-slope of his career, Subban will be 31 and likely still in his prime.

Avalanche Prefer To Trade Duchene Over Landeskog

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It’s often said that NHL GMs are liable to throw an anvil to a struggling NHL team instead of a life preserver.

Joe Sakic probably knows that better than anyone. The Colorado Avalanche GM is taking calls on several key players on his team, including Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie, and Jarome Iginla.

TSN Insider Darren Dreger appeared on Montreal radio on Tuesday morning, and offered some insight on what he believes Sakic is thinking. Many insiders have suggested that Sakic will only make a trade if it’s clear why.

Dreger wondered if “they’re better off to just hold tight and see where they’re at on March 1 or around March 1. If they’re still a 30th-place team at that point, then I think it becomes abundantly obvious… that they’re playing for the draft.”

However, Dreger suggests that if a team offers “what [the Avalanche] might need in a collection of draft picks or young prospects, why wouldn’t you consider trading Duchene?”

The two players who have keyed in the most trade discussions are Duchene and Landeskog. Dreger mentioned that there was a potential deal involving Landeskog for a defenseman around the draft lottery in April, but that talk died down. It was widely believed that said defenseman was Jacob Trouba. Now, Dreger believes that Sakic is “more inclined” to trade Duchene instead of Landeskog, saying he doesn’t “believe that Sakic really wants to move him.”

Duchene will likely have more value than Landeskog, as a speedy first-line center who is a proven point-producer. He’s also appeared on Team Canada at the last two best-on-best tournaments. In addition, the Avalanche have 2013 first-overall-pick Nathan MacKinnon as a built-in replacement for Duchene. That’s not to say Landeskog doesn’t have characteristics (big, tough, point-producing winger) that would be popular among NHL GMs, but Duchene would definitely fetch a pretty price for the Avalanche, who clearly need to make some serious changes.

Snapshots: Three Stars, World Junior Captains, Iginla

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The NHL has named Artemi Panarin, Henrik Lundqvist, and Eric Staal as its Three Stars of the Week.

Panarin had three goals and seven assists for 10 points in four games. He bookended two thee-point performances with a pair of two-point nights as the Blackhawks continued their five-game winning streak. Panarin now has 34 points in 34 games this season

This week marks the second consecutive week with a New York Rangers goaltender as the second star. Last week, Antti Raanta was the second star as he temporarily took over the starting role from Lundqvist, but now the man they call The King has taken back over. Lundqvist went 3-0-0 and allowed just three goals to go with his 0.967 SV%. He and Raanta combined for a shutout when Lundqvist was forced to leave a game after being run over by Cody Eakin (for which he was suspended).

Staal had four goals and five points in three games as part of a 3-0-0 week. The Wild have now won seven straight and Staal is leading the team in goals, assists, and points; he has 24 points in 30 games in his first year in Minnesota.

  • Hockey Canada has named its leadership core for the upcoming World Junior Championships. Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome will wear the C for Canada, while Mathew Barzal and Thomas Chabot will serve as alternate captains. All three players played for Canada at last year’s tournament and appeared in the NHL at the start of the season. While they combined for just 10 games and one assist in the NHL, all three are 2015 first-round picks and dominant CHL players. Strome has 295 points in 191 games with the Erie Otters; Islanders sixteenth-overall pick Barzal has 281 points in 174 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds; Chabot, a defenseman picked eighteenth overall by Ottawa, has 128 points in 182 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs.
  • The Vancouver Canucks most recent first-round pick, Olli Juolevi has been named captain of Team Finland. Juolevi had nine assists in seven games in last year’s tournament, as Finland won gold. So far, Juolevi has 21 points in 26 games with the London Knights.
  • Today marks 21 years since the Calgary Flames acquired Jarome Iginla from the Dallas Stars for Joe Nieuwendyk. The trade worked out pretty well for both teams: the Stars won the Stanley Cup four years later with Nieuwendyk playing a key role, and Iginla became the face of the Flames franchise. Nieuwendyk was in the prime of his career, while Iginla was an eleventh-overall pick playing for the Kamloops Blazers. Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com tweeted that Iginla initially thought he had been traded to the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. After turning pro, Iginla scored 1095 points in 16 years with the Flames, leading them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004. He’s bounced around between Pittsburgh, Boston, and Colorado in the four years since he was traded. Iginla could be on the move again this year, as the Avalanche are one of the worst teams in the NHL and he could want to go to a contender for the end of his career.

Central Notes: Iginla, Predators, Lehtera

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As we noted earlier today, Avalanche right winger Jarome Iginla will play in his 1,500th career game tonight as Colorado takes on Montreal.  At the age of 39 and his contract up at the end of the season, many are wondering if this is his final year but speaking with ESPN’s Joe MacDonald, Iginla isn’t sure if he wants to retire yet or keep playing:

“Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I know this is my last year of my contract, I’ve got three kids and they enjoy it, though. It’s probably more of my wife wouldn’t mind a little bit more help around the house, but the kids enjoy watching it and all that, so there are a lot of things to consider. It’s still fun and it’s great winning. It’s still fun winning and competing. It’s truly a decision I’ll make at the end of the year and see how it goes. I’m just trying to enjoy it right now.”

With his diminishing role (he has been in the bottom six a lot this season) and expiring contract, many have speculated that he could be a rental candidate towards the trade deadline.  Last season, he indicated that he was not willing to waive his no-move clause but, assuming Colorado remains out of a playoff spot, he might be willing to reconsider that stance if he wants a shot at a Stanley Cup, something that has eluded him throughout his 20 year career.  However, with a cap hit of $5.33MM, the number of potential suitors would likely be limited.

More from the Central:

  • If the Predators want to improve their seeding in the West (they sit one point out of a Wild Card spot heading into today’s action), they’ll need to improve their play on the road, notes Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. On home ice, Nashville has picked up points in 11 of 13 games, including nine victories while outscoring their opponents by 20.  However, on the road, they’ve lost all but three of 13 games while getting outscored by 15 in those contests.  Fortunately for the Preds, following tonight’s game in Arizona, six of their remaining nine games this month are at home.
  • Blues center Jori Lehtera says he’s “fighting with myself” as he continues his early season struggles, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His third NHL campaign has yet to go as he or the team hoped as he has just three goals and five assists through 23 games, hardly what St. Louis expected from a forward with a $4.7MM cap hit.  Head coach Ken Hitchcock made Lehtera a healthy scratch last week and told the 28 year old that he wants to see him “play through the competition”  and that it wasn’t his lack of production that led to the benching.

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