Jarome Iginla may not be long for Colorado.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports’ Puck Daddy blog, Iginla said quite frankly that he wants to get dealt to a playoff contender at the March 1 deadline.
“I would like to, at the deadline, go somewhere,” Iginla said. “I would like to be in the playoffs. I would hope that there is some opportunity to go and play in the playoffs. Those are the best games, the most fun for sure, and you have a chance to win. So no, I haven’t given up on that chance to win.”
The veteran’s Avalanche are in dead last in the NHL, 10 points behind 29th-placed Arizona.
Iginla has reportedly not talked to Avs management about a deal.
“I’ve been a part of it long enough to know that that’s just a part of the process and if they can get draft picks and stuff, you know for their older guys, the guys who are not in their future plans, that’s part of it and I definitely would be open to that,” he said. “I have enjoyed it [in Colorado] and there are lots of great young guys here, and I think it’s going to be a promising future. But yeah, my window’s not the same as the other guys for sure.”
The Edmonton native has experience being traded to a contender at the deadline. He was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013. He scored 12 points in 15 playoff games. After a season in Boston, he’s now in his third campaign with Colorado.
Iginla is in the last season of a three-year, $16-million contract. He would have to waive his no-movement clause for a trade to take place.
“This has been – it has been difficult hockey-wise and personally it has been a little tougher to…a tougher time than I had producing than before,” he said of his production in 2016-17.
The 39-year-old has six goals and 12 points in 48 games.
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