The Calgary Flames missed the playoffs for a third straight season, but if the team decides to completely rebuild in the off-season, captain Jarome Iginla doesn’t want to be a part of it.
Calgary finished in ninth place in the Western Conference with 90 points and a record of 37-29-16, and many are wondering if it’s time for the Flames to make extensive changes and take the team in a new direction.
However, the long-time Flames captain said he doesn’t want to be a part of a team that is going through a complete overhaul.
“Do I want to rebuild? Do I want to be on a team if we’re going to fully rebuild? I don’t know if I do,” Iginla said after the Flames’ 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks in the final game of their season on Saturday. “I think Calgary is a very good organization, I think they treat us all well as players and I do think there’s a lot of good things going … Do I want to fully rebuild? I’d be lying to you if I said that I do.”
Iginla has one year remaining on his contract with a salary cap hit of $7 million and the Flames have six pending unrestricted free agents this summer: Olli Jokinen, David Moss, Lee Stempniak, Tom Kostopoulos, Cory Sarich and Scott Hannan. Their pending restricted free agents include Mikael Backlund, Blake Comeau and Akim Aliu.
“I don’t know what next year holds.” Iginla said. “(Management and ownership) have to decide what direction they want to go.”
The 34-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner, a six-time NHL all-star and has won the Art Ross Trophy, Lester B. Pearson Award, Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, King Clancy Memorial Trophy, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
He has never won a Stanley Cup and at this stage of his career, he has stated that is his main goal. Iginla and the Flames came close to a Cup in 2003-04, losing in the final to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
Iginla was drafted 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in 1995 but has played all 1,188 career NHL games with the Flames, registering 516 goals, 1073 points and 809 penalty minutes.
