clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

NHL Trade Rumors: Would Jarome Iginla Be Worth It? Eh. Depends.

Jarome Iginla is one of the most beloved players in the NHL, and annually one of the most coveted at the trade deadline. If Jay Feaster finally decides to trade the Flames' captain this year, should the Blues be in the mix?

By hildymac
Dilip Vishwanat

Every single year, we hear and read the exact same question: will the Calgary Flames finally trade Jarome Iginla? Every year, the answer has been the same -- no, he's the player they're building around, he's their captain, he's the face of their franchise. They've been saying that for so long, his trade value has obviously dropped off as his age has increased. Iggy is 35, and while still an excellent player with tons of value on the ice and in the locker room, he's just not going to get much for the Flames.

This could be a good thing for teams missing just that extra piece of the puzzle, but this Bleacher Report article misses the bigger picture: Calgary general manager Jay Feaster will ask for a bit in exchange for Iginla. You're not going to get him for what author Jacob Born suggests:

If the Blues and Flames were to make the trade, it would most likely go down like this: The Blues would give Calgary a third-round pick, Brian Elliott and either Cracknell or Porter for Iginla and a second-round pick. The Blues would add the veteran leader the team has been missing this season, as well as someone who can light the lamp in pressure situations.

The Flames get a goaltender who has shown he can be elite, a winger who can develop into a top-six forward and a pick that they can put toward their rebuilding process.

Wow, no. The value of those players in Born's head and the value of those players in reality are a bit different. Elliott has shown he can be elite, but that was last year. This year, he's shown himself to be broken. Adam Cracknell is 27. He's developed. He's done. Porter's 28. He's also developed.

Basically, you'd be sending an extra goalie who is signed for another season at a cap hit of $1,800,000, a 3rd or 4th liner at best, and a third round pick over for a guy who would be a rental. Ok, that'd work out great for the Blues. What would Feaster say, though? Do you really think that he'd dump his franchise guy, even in a UFA year, for some spare cogs?

I'm not saying that Iginla's worth big roster players any more -- he's not. He would also be someone I would not complain about him being a Blue Note. But if the price is too high, of course it's not worth it. You can't fill one hole while creating another, as I mentioned in my post about Chris Stewart. Feaster's not going to play nice, Doug Armstrong's not going to back down, and Jarome Iginla won't be a Blue.