The best thing for both Jarome Iginla and the Flames is to trade the team captain.
If I am Jarome Iginla, I waltz into new GM Jay Feaster's office first thing Wednesday and ask to be put on the first bus out of town.
Let's be honest, regardless of the fact Feaster says making the playoffs this season will be part of his program moving forward, by the time the Flames are in a position to contend for the Stanley Cup again, Iginla will be on the downside of what has been a truly wonderful career.
Iginla is the face of the Flames. But, seriously, what does that mean today? The face of a club that has been spinning its wheels? The face of a club that needs a massive overhaul to seriously challenge in the very tough Western Conference?
At the end of the day, Iginla is one of just a handful of assets that could fetch the Flames some much-needed pieces of the puzzle to get things moving in the right direction again. Iginla, goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and defenceman Robyn Regehr would certainly interest many teams that are in a position to win it all this year. All three just happen to have no-movement clauses -- something the NHL must negotiate out of the next CBA if it wants trades to be a part of the game again moving forward -- but all that really means is they can dictate where they want to go when push comes to shove.
If I know Iginla, he will insist he wants to remain with the team and be a part of the rebuild. That's because he is an honourable, dedicated soldier and always has been. I would expect nothing less from him.
Privately, though, he has to know time is slipping away and his chances of having his name etched onto the Stanley Cup are diminishing with each passing day. Even if the Flames somehow manage to squeak into the playoffs this season, which they probably won't, what does it mean? You think this group could get out of the first round against one of the top seeds in the West? Not a chance.
All Iginla has to do is tell Feaster he'll accept a trade if it means the Flames can get back a combination of young players with upside as well as draft picks. He can position his departure as simply doing what he thinks is best for the organization and nobody will accuse him of jumping ship. Frankly, I think fans in Calgary who realize this team needs a major overhaul will be delighted and thankful that he is doing his part.
Mats Sundin refused to waive his no-movement clause in his final days with the Toronto Maple Leafs and went from being a local hero to a source of frustration for some of the Leafs faithful. He was certainly well within his right to enforce the clause that he had negotiated in his deal, but you have to wonder if the Leafs wouldn't be closer to respectability if he had accepted a move? For that matter, he could have accepted a trade and then re-signed with the Leafs the following year.
Instead, he stayed in Toronto until his contract expired and then signed with the Vancouver Canucks, leaving the Leafs with nothing.
There are many who have this romantic notion that it means something to stay with one organization throughout their entire career. Certainly when people speak about Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, that is one of the first things they bring up -- he was a Detroit Red Wing for life. The difference is, Yzerman won three Stanley Cups in Detroit.
That will not be the case for Iginla and the Flames. There is no Cup in his immediate future in Calgary.
Think back to Raymond Bourque. He put in 21 years with the Boston Bruins and was in a similar position as Iginla finds himself now. There was no way he was ever going to win a Cup in Boston, so in the end, he accepted a trade to the Colorado Avalanche and in his second year with the club, finally sipped champagne from the championship trophy.
I recall many years ago talking to Larry Robinson about his move from Montreal, where he helped the Canadiens win six Stanley Cups in 17 seasons, to the Los Angeles Kings. Robinson said the move provided him with quite a revelation. He said he had one view of the NHL from his playing days in Montreal and found that playing with the Kings was quite an eye-opener. Different conference; different way of doing things; different travel … it really gave him a more complete overall NHL experience.
Iginla still has plenty of game left in him. In the right circumstances, he could get back to being one of the more productive power forwards in the NHL. Leaving Calgary certainly won't be easy for this great NHLer, but at this stage of his career, and with his team about to take a step back in order to move forward, the timing may be perfect.
