NHL Trade Rumors: Blackhawks pursuing Jarome Iginla

The Chicago Blackhawks have reportedly expressed interest in trading for Colorado Avalanche forward Jarome Iginla

Every year, the Chicago Blackhawks are contenders. Naturally, this means right around the start of each new year, they are looking to upgrade their team for a potential Stanley Cup run.

This year is no different, as the Blackhawks enter the year as the top seed in the Western Conference. In 2015, Chicago traded for Kimmo Timmonen, helping him win his first Stanley Cup before retiring.

And 2017 could see a very similar situation, as Adrian Dater is reporting the Blackhawks are interested in Colorado Avalanche forward Jarome Iginla.

The Avalanche, as a team looking to rebuild, would be more than happy to get anything in return for the aging forward. Iginla is one of the greatest players of all time, but he’s a shadow of his former self. He has just five goals and nine points through his first 37 games. Even if you take into consideration how bad Colorado is, Iginla’s numbers are sub-par.

That said, perhaps a trade to the Blackhawks will give him some new energy. After all, as recently as the 2015-16 season, Iginla was a proven 20-goal scorer. Chicago could certainly use him too. With various injuries, their depth is getting tested. Head coach Joel Quenneville likes guys who he can trust. Iginla’s a guy who can be trusted as a proven scorer and solid player.

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While Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times confirmed Drater’s report, he reports the Blackhawks don’t have the cap space necessary to make a trade. Cap space will be the biggest hurdle in this trade. Not only does Chicago have a very limited amount of it, they might not want to waste any of it on Iginla.

Still, if the two sides can find a happy medium, this could be a solid fit as the Blackhawks look to win another Stanley Cup.