NHL Trade Rumors: Kings to acquire Jarome Iginla from Avalanche
The Los Angeles Kings are very close to trading for Colorado Avalanche wing Jarome Iginla.
Early on March 1, the Los Angeles Kings traded Dwight King to the Montreal Canadiens. This cleared some cap space, leaving many to wonder what they would do with it. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun has the answer. According to him, the Kings are finalizing a trade for Colorado Avalanche wing Jarome Iginla.
Still pending a trade call, so nothing official, but am told LA Kings and Colorado Avalanche finalizing a Jarome Iginla trade
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 1, 2017
Conditional draft pick going to Colorado for Iginla. Pending trade call.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 1, 2017
Iginla isn’t as good as he once was, but he’s still a strong veteran presence. Darryl Sutter gets his old captain back. Iginla and the Kings head coach spent time together with the Calgary Flames. Sutter knows the legend more than he knows himself. While Iginla isn’t productive anymore, good luck rooting for him to not have his Ray Bourque moment by retiring on top with a Stanley Cup.
This season, Iginla has struggled with just eight goals and 18 points in 61 games. His decline has been quite sudden, as he put up a 47 point season in 2015-16. This is most likely Iginla’s last season. What better way to do it by going out on top? And Sutter knows how to get the most out of him. The duo of Sutter and Iginla nearly took the Flames to a Stanley Cup title, but the Tampa Bay Lightning came out on top in the 2003-04 NHL season.
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He’s is a shadow of his former self. But he should provide some valuable forward depth. And Iginla is a fit for Sutter’s system, as he can still score and hit hard. Maybe not as much as he used to, but he’s always been a strong playoff producer. Perhaps being with his old friend Sutter will give Iginla some new energy. Regardless, hard to root against the Kings winning the Stanley Cup now.